Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Laziness
Qi Xiu Ze continued seriously, "Brother, to be honest, it's not just us, the Qi family's imperial merchants, who can make candles. It's that other merchants can't, only we can. However, we buy all the materials for making candles from Lingguo. Not to mention how expensive they are, my father went to Lingguo, that is, the Great Zhou Kingdom, on his business trip. He spent 800,000 taels of silver with their imperial merchants to learn the craft of candlemaking. But we still have to buy the raw materials from the Great Zhou Kingdom. They sell them at a high price, but the people of Dayan Kingdom need them, so we have to bite the bullet and buy them even if they sell them at a high price."
"Later, our Qi family started selling paraffin wax in various shops. We were actually trying to recruit talent and see if anyone knew how to make this stuff. But decades later, not only were our shops unable to sell the paraffin wax, but even when we asked about it, no one was interested."
It was extremely embarrassing. They thought the candle-making process would be very troublesome. But after the Qi family spent 800,000 to learn the craft of candle-making, they were so angry that their faces turned pale, and Qi's father was so angry that he vomited blood.
Damn it, they just gave away these 800,000 yuan for free.
No wonder when they gave them the banknotes, people looked at them with a meaningful, half-smile, as if they were holding back something.
Emotion, that's not a meaningful expression at all, people just think they are stupid and are holding back their laughter.
Xie Baizhou asked anxiously, "Yunfan, you're asking this because you know how to make candles?"
"I can." Xu Yunfan nodded. These two simple words were like a thunderbolt that struck Xie Baizhou and the other three, leaving them burnt on the outside and tender on the inside.
Lin Xiaoran was so excited that his hands were shaking. "Brother, are you really that amazing? You can even do this! Uncle Qi spent 800,000 taels to learn this skill. How did you learn it?"
Eight hundred thousand taels?
My goodness, what kind of a fool is Qi Xiu Ze’s father being?
But it's no wonder. You can't do it, but others can. If you want to learn someone else's skills to make money, you naturally have to pay the price. No matter how easy or difficult the skill is, once they quote a price, you don't even have the right to bargain.
Xu Yunfan had eaten a few meals of wild vegetables and brown rice, and his stomach was still not full even though he stretched his neck so long. Naturally, he knew the importance of silver.
Eight hundred thousand taels!
This is not a small amount.
I wonder how many years this money will be enough for him to eat, drink, have fun and lie down and enjoy himself in the Dayan Dynasty.
It’s a pity that the Qi family was unlucky and didn’t meet him, otherwise, the 800,000 would have been in his pocket.
Xu Yunfan wiped his face with a pity, "This thing is simple. In that case, Xiu Ze, do you want to cooperate with me?"
"Cooperation?" Qi Xiu Ze immediately became interested. "How do you cooperate?"
Xu Yunfan didn't want to pass on his candle-making skills to outsiders for the time being. "I'll sell the candles I make in your Royal Store, but I have one condition."
Even though candles are not an industry monopolized by the Qi family, it would not be wise to rashly sell candles given his current status and position.
By then, who knows how many jackals and beasts will target him.
By cooperating with Huangshang, these worries can be cleared away in an instant.
Qi Xiu Ze thought quickly. Xu Yunfan let them sell the candles. This was a win-win situation for him and their Qi family.
They, the imperial merchants, have a good reputation in the eyes of the people, but it has to be admitted that some of the things they sell are indeed very expensive. It can be said that they are almost exclusive to the nobility.
It’s not that they haven’t tried to change the current situation, but there are some things that they are willing but powerless to do.
How much silver do imperial merchants need to pay as tribute to the royal family every year?
The things purchased from the Great Zhou Kingdom are not cheap in themselves. Merchants are merchants and will not do business without profit. They do not want to make money from the hard-earned money of the people, but they cannot do business at a loss either.
Therefore, candles are expensive and ordinary people cannot afford them. They are not unaware of this, but what can they do even if they know?
If Xu Yunfan really gave the candles to them to sell, as long as the cost of Xu Yunfan making the candles was not high, then they could lower the price of the candles, making them a popular product that every household could use, and no longer exclusive to the rich.
Thinking of this, Qi Xiu Ze asked anxiously, "What are the conditions?"
A candle costs dozens of coins. Ordinary people can't even eat refined rice every day, so where do they get the spare money to buy such luxury goods?
Xu Yunfan had lived in the village for so long that he naturally knew how difficult life was for the people. Although it was convenient to have no electricity and no one could see him defecating or urinating, it was really inconvenient to do anything at night without light. Even when he went to the toilet, he couldn't see the gap between the two wooden boards. Many times when he wanted to urinate in the middle of the night, Xu Yunfan stood outside the toilet for a long time and didn't dare to go in. Finally, he could only run back to the room and ask Qin Run to get up to light a fire for him and bring a torch in, otherwise he was afraid of defecating in the wrong place.
It is said that officials should serve the people, but what does this have to do with Xu Yunfan? After all, it is not his job to meddle in matters that are not within his jurisdiction. It is not his turn to care about these things. He does not have that much ability, and he is even more powerless even though he wants to.
But this does not mean that Xu Yunfan was not touched at all.
When Li Hui gave birth to her son, there was only one lamp on in the room. During the busy autumn harvest, how many people worked in the dark to peel corn kernels?
When Xu Yunfan was in the village, he heard that someone's aunt had a large piece of flesh scraped off her hand with a file while peeling corn kernels at night.
If candles become cheaper, they will no longer be a rarity for them, and then every household will have them.
There is plenty of pine oil in the mountains. If the candles he makes are sold too expensively, ordinary people still can't afford them, and candles will still be a toy for the rich.
So Xu Yunfan said, "The candles I make are not expensive. I'll give them to you for one cent each. But once these candles arrive at your shop, I don't care how you sell them, but the price must not exceed three cents per candle. You know, candles are rare in our Great Yan Dynasty. How many families can afford them?"
After saying this, Xu Yunfan touched his face, looking somewhat melancholy. "Alas, although I'm not a local official, I have a kind and generous heart. It's rare to find someone like me who is both good-looking and kind-hearted."
Qi Xiu Ze and the other three didn't even bother looking at Xu Yun Fan. They were discussing things nicely, but this guy was becoming overconfident again. Qi Xiu Ze kicked him and said, "Can you be more serious? Let's talk business."
"How am I being inappropriate?" Xu Yunfan kicked back. "Isn't this just me expressing my feelings? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Qi Xiu Ze choked. It was true that they were wrong, but why did they feel like they wanted to punch him?
"I will inform my father and brothers about this matter, but don't worry, this is a good thing that benefits the people, they will definitely agree to it. Don't worry, brother, you can start preparing the candles when you go back. Such cheap candles will definitely not be enough to sell by then, you have to prepare more stock, okay?" Qi Xiu Ze said excitedly, covering his mouth and laughing.
This time, he is going to make a great contribution. When the time comes, his father and two brothers will definitely ask him for details. Then... hehe, those three guys always like to discipline him and say that he is not motivated. Look, one day, won't they ask him for help?
Just thinking about this, Qi Xiu Ze felt so happy that he even started to fantasize about it. The thought was so beautiful that Qi Xiu Ze couldn't control himself and kept laughing happily.
Xu Yunfan naturally knew that if the price of candles dropped, there would be a shortage of supply. When he returned to the village, he naturally had to prepare the goods.
Xie Baizhou, Lin Xiaoran, and Shen Ruxi were already numb, how could Xu Yunfan be so powerful?
The three of them felt very proud to have such an outstanding and excellent brother. This matter would probably cause a big stir. By then, maybe even that person would know about the existence of Xu Yunfan.
The brothers have become famous. When they return to Beijing in the future, who would dare to say that the four of them are nothing but a face?
Now that we've discussed the candle issue, let's get back to business.
Considering that wealthy people in ancient times were not too fond of pig offal and other parts such as pig trotters, chicken feet, and duck feet, Xu Yunfan thought, if there is a good deal, then don't miss it. "Do they usually sell chicken feet and duck feet in the slaughterhouse?"
Not to mention Qi Xiu Ze, Xie Baizhou and the other two also knew about these things. The chicken, duck, pork, mutton and other meats sent out from places like slaughterhouses were all processed by them. The internal organs, chicken, duck, fish heads, chicken feet and duck feet were not what the rich people would look down on and generally would not want them. After all, those things not only had not much meat, but the internal organs were also dirty and smelly. In their eyes, chicken and duck feet were like things that were stepped on shit. How clean could they be?
Xie Baizhou: "No, those things have little meat and are dirty, not many people will buy them. Therefore, slaughterhouses have the most of them, and we have to hire people to deal with them."
Xu Yunfan smiled brightly upon hearing this, as if he had seen countless delicacies waving at him. "Oh, these are all good things. How can we waste them like this? It's simply a waste of resources. They don't want these things, but I do. Ask them to sell them to me, and I'll pay for them!"
In modern times, pig intestines are expensive, sometimes even selling for more than ten yuan per pound, not to mention pig hearts and livers. If these things are cooked well, what can't be eaten and what doesn't taste good? Just braise them and they will become a delicacy.
Fish heads are nutritious and are great for making soup.
There are many delicious dishes that can be made with duck feet and chicken feet, such as boneless chicken feet, pickled pepper chicken feet, stewed duck feet, dry pot duck feet, lemon chicken feet, and lemon duck feet. Which one is not a tempting delicacy?
These things are delicious and you will definitely lick your fingers after eating them.
He is not good at cooking, but Qin Run is good!
Thinking of this, Xu Yunfan made a plan. When he returned to the village tonight, he would go find Fang Er, Fang San, Qin Sen's Qin Si, Wu, Liu, and Qin Erlai, and let them be responsible for dealing with these things tomorrow.
Lin Xiaoran: "What do you want these for? Not only is there not much meat, but it's also very troublesome to handle."
Only poor people would spend money to buy it.
Xu Yunfan looked delighted, as if he had gotten a great deal. He took a big bite of the meat with great satisfaction. "You'll find out tomorrow. There's a lot of food that can be made from these things. It's just that you don't know how to eat them. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any left."
Qi Xiu Ze: "Okay. If you want it, I'll have someone deliver it to you. You can have as many of these as you want."
…
Xu Yunfan didn't have any classes in the afternoon, so Sun Wu sent them to the academy and went back to the village to chop firewood for him. He left Xu Yunfan to walk back in the scorching sun?
Don't even think about it.
The teachers at Qingfeng Academy not only have a high monthly allowance, but also have a dormitory building of their own. Each teacher has a room in that dormitory building to use for naps.
The building used for classes also has several classrooms dedicated to teachers, which are usually used for correcting papers and for students to ask for advice individually.
Xu Yunfan knew that those teachers probably looked down on him, so he would not embarrass himself by trying to please others.
After dinner, Qin An and Xiao Ye wanted to continue picking flowers, but Xu Yunfan hurriedly stopped the two little guys. At this moment, he was strongly condemned by his conscience, and with a hint of selfishness, he hugged them in his arms, "Oh, my two hardworking little bees, they need to rest right after dinner. Let them rest for two quarters of an hour first and then let them sleep for half an hour. We can get busy after getting up, okay?"
Qin An and Xiao Ye have round eyes, small and delicate high nose bridges, and rosy and fleshy lips. Ever since Xu Yunfan had money, he has never let the two little guys go hungry. After feeding them for half a month, Xiao Ye's face has gained some flesh and looks very cute. Xu Yunfan loves his two brothers-in-law very much.
"Brother, I'm not sleepy!" Children do get a little sleepy after a full meal, but Qin An discovered that there was no bed in the only room where they could rest. If they cried out that they were sleepy, would Brother Fu be very troubled? He had to find a way to find a place for them to sleep.
So, he wisely lied.
Xu Yunfan held Qin An's mouth and said, "No, you are sleepy. Brother Fu said you are sleepy, so you are sleepy. Come, Brother Fu will take you to sleep. If you don't sleep, you won't grow taller. If you don't grow taller, you will have to go to the forest to be seven dwarfs in the future. Brother Fu can't bear it, so I have to take a nap."
"I won't grow taller if I don't take a nap? Brother, is this true?" Qin An scratched his head, seemingly not quite believing it.
Few people in the village take naps, and they are all tall and strong.
Xu Yunfan didn't feel guilty at all about his two brothers-in-law's "nonsense". He spoke without any pressure, "That must be true. Otherwise, look at Brother-in-law. Brother-in-law is tall and handsome because he sleeps a lot. But your brother-in-law is so tall. If you look like dwarfs, would it be okay?"
Qin An and Xiao Ye were obedient children. When they heard this, they moved their mouths but didn't know what to say. They were also afraid that they would really become the dwarfs that Gefu mentioned, so they could only obey and let Xu Yunfan hold their hands.
In fact, Qin An believed Xu Yunfan's words a little.
The men in the village are tall, but none of them is taller than Gefu. Gefu is a good sleeper, so he is so tall.
"Run'er, Auntie and Third Auntie, are you all busy?" Xu Yunfan brought his two brothers-in-law to the kitchen and asked knowingly.
Of course you have to be busy. There are so many bowls to wash, and which meat and vegetables don’t need to be processed?
Xu Yunfan wanted to help, but to be honest, he was too lazy to clean the kitchen.
You can ask him to make desserts, or wash vegetables and cook, but Xu Yunfan will definitely refuse to wash so many bowls.
Several people in the kitchen were also busy. In order to show off, Xu Yunfan got up this morning to "dress up". Now he was really sleepy and didn't want to do these things anymore.
Aunt Qin and the others smiled as they worked and asked, "Why did you bring An Ge'er and the others in?"
Qin Sanniang thought Xu Yunfan had brought them along to help, so she waved her hand and said, "Ah, your aunt and I can handle these few dishes, so you don't have to come over."
Xu Yunfan, who had been wanting to slack off, felt a little embarrassed. He forced himself to smile and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Auntie and Sanniang. The two little ones are used to taking naps at home. Look, the college arranged a dormitory for me with beds and mats ready. I thought it wouldn't be convenient to sleep here, so I took them there to rest for a while. They might be scared because they're unfamiliar with the place. I have no choice but to accompany them. I can't work with you guys anymore."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Qin and Qin Sanniang looked a little confused. They wanted to laugh but were too embarrassed to do so. Did Xu kid think they were brainless?
Qin An used to be so busy with the autumn harvest at home that he was almost exhausted. Although he didn't go to the fields much, he was still very busy peeling corn kernels at home. How could he have time to take a nap?
Not to mention Xiao Ye, a little wild kid, does he even know what a nap is?
Can't this kid Xu be sincere when he lies?
Aunt Qin wanted to say, "I don't think they want to sleep, but you do," but the words couldn't come out of her mouth.
Here Xu Yunfan is the boss and the shopkeeper. He has to do everything himself, so what else do he need them for?
Qin Sanniang doesn’t understand Xu Yunfan’s character, but could it be that Qin Run doesn’t know it either?
Xu Yunfan is never vague when doing big things, but likes to fish in muddy waters with small things, especially those things he doesn't like to do. This person must be finding ways to be lazy, but you say he is lazy, but whenever he does something or encounters something, no matter whether he knows how to do it or whether he can do it, this person will be the most active.
After cleaning the pot and pouring water into it, Qin Run washed his hands and walked over. "Yun Fan, is your dormitory far from here? When I have some free time, can I go over and take a look?"
"Sure, why not?" Xu Yunfan raised his hand to check the time. It was only a little after twelve o'clock. He started getting busy at two o'clock, and the students left for dinner at five o'clock. Three hours was enough for Qin Run to be busy. "Then why don't you come with me now? I'll take you to get acquainted with the village. If I'm in the village in the future, you can go there to sleep if you feel tired. You can also take An Ge'er and the others over to lie down for a while at noon."
"Okay." Qin Run was happy and immediately followed Xu Yunfan.
Qin San and the other men remained silent the entire time. After Xu Yunfan left, Qin San simply threw the rag he was using to wipe the table into the basin and grumbled, "Yunfan, that brat, really has Run Ge'er completely taken advantage of. It's a shame, isn't it? A man speaking so softly, it makes my scalp tingle and my bones soften just by listening to him. No wonder he could have completely seduced Run Ge'er."
Aunt Qin glanced at Fang Yi and Qin Qi, and said, imitating Qin San, "Fang Yi and Qin Qi, you should learn more from Yun Fan. Look at how sweet Yun Fan is. He can even charm Run Ge'er away. When you have a husband or wife in the future, you should also learn from Yun Fan. Look at how he has dominated Run Ge'er. With the way they live, they can't even quarrel."
"Mom, why don't you let me learn too?" Qin San asked curiously. Wasn't he standing there not obviously enough so that his mother couldn't see him?
Aunt Qin said angrily: "Feng Ge'er has such a good temper. If you can quarrel with him, I think you want to eat a stick."
"Mom, you always say that to me. Is it my fault that I quarreled with Feng Ge'er? Isn't it possible that he was wrong?" Qin San held his mouth. "Mom, you are really biased. If you don't know, you would think that Feng Ge'er is your biological son and I am the man who married into your family."
Seeing Qin San's aggrieved face, Qin Qi and Fang Yi laughed. Qin Sanniang smiled and slapped Qin San, "Alright, alright, stop pretending to be aggrieved. If your mother doesn't love you, who else can she love?"
The teacher's dormitory was not far from the students' dormitories. It was noon, the weather was hot, and there were almost no people outside.
After working in the cafeteria of Qingfeng Academy for a few days, Qin Run walked around the academy for the first time and couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
As one of the most important colleges in the Great Yan Dynasty, the construction of Qingfeng Academy is naturally extraordinary.
The winding corridors, the poetic ancient tiles, the deep woods, the gurgling streams, the lush bamboo forests and the quiet environment in the mountains are exactly the ideal place for reading that the ancients had in mind.
These beautiful scenes made the three Qin Run brothers dazzled.
Xu Yunfan was accustomed to such beautiful scenery. He had seen it countless times during his two years traveling around the world after graduating with his doctorate, so he wasn't shocked by such a sight. "Run'er, if you feel tired in the afternoon, come here and rest. This bed is big enough for the four of us to sleep sideways."
"Okay." Qin Run followed Xu Yunfan closely and said with emotion: "Yunfan, Qingfeng Academy is so big!"
"Is this considered big?" Xu Yunfan smiled. "Our school over there is even bigger than this one. If we were to walk around it, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to finish it in a day."
Hearing this, Qin Run found it hard to imagine what kind of place Xu Yunfan had lived in before. If it weren't for Xu Yunfan, he might never have had the chance or the qualifications to set foot in Qingfeng Academy in his entire life.
But after meeting Xu Yunfan, he gradually no longer felt that the things he had not dared to think about before were so far away from him.
Qin Run and Xu Yunfan asked and answered each other, and soon they arrived at his dormitory.
Qin An and Xiao Ye got up early in the morning, and when they returned home at night they had to feed the chickens and pigs, light the fire and boil water. For children of their age, it was really tiring. Xu Yunfan didn't need to say much. The two little guys took off their shoes and fell asleep as soon as their heads touched the bed, snoring one after another.
Seeing this, Xu Yunfan touched them one by one and said, "You said you weren't sleepy, but now you're sleeping like a piglet?"
Qin Run lay next to Xu Yunfan. Knowing that Xu Yunfan would not be comfortable sleeping without a pillow, he let him hold him. Although it was hot, he still fell asleep.
Xu Yunfan said he would get up at two o'clock, and today he said he would cook a dish for Qi Xiu Ze and the others, but in the end there was not even any meat left. Naturally, they did not have the pleasure of eating the dish he cooked himself.
How can a person go back on his word?
If I can’t cook one dish, it would be nice to make something else for them to try.
Not to mention that Qi Xiu Ze helped him a lot. Qi Xiu Ze said that it would be hurtful for brothers to talk about money before. If Xu Yunfan really felt bad, he might as well treat him to a few meals.
Xu Yunfan understood the subtext of these words.
They all knew that Xu Yunfan would cook a lot of food, and they were already thinking about it before they even had a chance to eat it.
It’s just some food. If Qi Xiu Ze and the others didn’t help, would it be so easy for him to take over the cafeteria?
Money is one thing, and favors are another.
Since ancient times, favors are the hardest to repay. Xu Yunfan knew this, but he was a newcomer and had nothing. If he hadn't owed some favors, he wouldn't have gotten to where he is today.
If someone gives you a peach, he will naturally repay you with a plum.
After Qin Run and his two brothers washed their faces in the dormitory, Xu Yunfan asked Qin Run to take Xiao Ye and Qin An to the cafeteria first, while he wanted to go out for a walk.
After walking down the street, Xu Yunfan heard someone selling milk.
milk?
This is a good thing!
Xu Yunfan remembered that he had taken out several bags of corn starch and several boxes of light cream from his suitcase. He didn't know what to do with these things at first, and they were of no use at home, so he asked Qin Run to take them to the cafeteria.
The suitcase that came with Xu Yunfan would bring him some strange things almost every day. Xu Yunfan didn't know what to do with many of the things. Some of them were put in the woodshed, and some were brought to the cafeteria by Qin Run.
If he could buy milk, Xu Yunfan thought, he might know what food he could make with it.
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