Huo Xiaolong brought the ice basin from the ice cellar, placed it in front of his two mothers, pointed at it, and said...
“Look, this is what I made yesterday. It works! You can use saltpeter, but saltpeter is hard to buy. I was thinking of buying a saltpeter mine so we can sell ice and use it ourselves. It’s very cost-effective.”
A mine contains saltpeter that can be mined by manpower for a lifetime and still not be used up. Even if you sell it, you can't sell it all because it's seasonal. It can only be sold for half a year at most, and the remaining half a year can be used for fireworks. If you don't want to make this money and want the saltpeter to last longer, you can choose not to do fireworks business.
The two mothers exchanged a glance. Both had come from the capital, and neither of them was an innocent young girl anymore. Their daughters had suddenly developed some inexplicable abilities, so making ice wasn't surprising. It was probably given to them by the old man in their dream. Perhaps. They didn't want to delve into it. As long as their child was healthy, happy, and safe, that was enough.
As for making ice, I'll buy a mine for 50,000 taels.
“But fifty thousand taels is a lot, Long’er.”
He Yi still wanted to persuade him, because she didn't have that much money in her pocket, at most 20,000 taels, and the rest would probably have to come from Cen Ang, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
"But I want it, Mother~"
Seeing the girl's aggrieved expression, Cen Ang felt a pang of sympathy. She knew she shouldn't give the child whatever she wanted, but she just couldn't help herself. If it weren't for her mother stopping her from spoiling the child, the owner of the brothel would have already paid up.
He Yi sighed, thought for a moment, and said
"Then let's buy it."
What can I do if I don't buy it?
Even if she and Cen Ang didn't pay her, she would get money from others. She could sell Huo Shuwen's meager reward for cash. If Xiong Ying saw his daughter looking so aggrieved, who knows what he would do?
If we really can't get the money, we might as well lead the troops to take over the saltpeter mine.
Never mind, let her go.
"Really? Mom? Mother?"
Huo Xiaolong found it a bit unbelievable; she felt it would take several more days to get through.
"Really, your mother and I will give you the money. We'll go to your Uncle Wang's place tomorrow to buy the mine, and your Uncle Zhao will go with you." Cen Ang looked at Huo Xiaolong, who was happily nestled in He Yi's arms, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
"I knew it! Mom and my mother are the best to me in the whole world!"
After saying that, they each gave each other a kiss and, carrying the good news, climbed over the wall to find Hou Xiangxiang.
The Marquis's residence was also welcoming guests when Xu Zheng, who had been concerned about the matter of becoming the Minister of Revenue for over a month, began to worry as his daughter had not yet returned. It wasn't until the steward spoke to him...
"Master, the young lady doesn't plan to come back either."
The man turned to look at him in disbelief and asked...
"If she doesn't go home, where will she go?"
The elderly butler seemed a little uneasy and whispered in his ear...
"Pingyang County, Fengyue Tower".
Tsk.
Good, good, good, this is a great place.
Xu Zheng wasn't worried that his daughter would go astray in the brothel; after all, even a young girl shouldn't live in a brothel every day.
"I did not live in a brothel."
When Xu Zheng saw his daughter questioning him, Miss Xu uttered these words to her father.
“Look, Dad, I bought a house in the red-light district. Let me tell you, Dad, the red-light district is very safe. Even the Minister of Revenue’s secret guards can’t get in. I heard they’ve all died there.”
The almond-eyed girl, munching on a pear like a little hamster, said this and handed one to her father.
"Father, do you want some? It's delicious. I picked it from the tree in the backyard of Fengyue Tower."
Xu Zheng is thirty-six years old this year. He married for the sake of the Xu family, to settle down in the household, and to have children. However, his wife was unlucky and passed away first, leaving him only a daughter.
If you ask Xu Zheng, do you feel guilty towards his late wife?
He said no.
She married him because of her family's interests.
Her family benefited.
But he felt guilty for letting her lose her life to bear his children, so Xu Zheng was exceptionally lenient and doting on Xu Qiushui. Although the people at Xiangfengyuelou were far inferior to Huo Xiaolong, in Jiangnan, they were already the kind of people who spoiled their daughters.
The Xu family did not escape unscathed from the matter of the Minister of Revenue; they lost half of their fortune and asked Xiao Lanyi to help them resolve the situation. The money was used to pay military expenses.
If that's the case, Xu Zheng believes that the business world is like a battlefield, with both winners and losers.
So what if he loses? It's not like he can't survive. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and besides, it's only half the loss. He can still make a profit.
But my own daughter is such a worry.
"Tomorrow, come with me to visit the elders of the Hou family. I heard that their daughter was the wife of the prefect. Let them teach you what it means to be the mistress of a high-ranking family."
Xu Qiushui paused briefly, recalling the woman whose roar echoed throughout the red-light district.
"Hou Xiangxiang!"
"If you bring any more weird insects into your home, I'll fight you to the death!"
Then the young lady gave a brief "hmm" and said...
"Okay, tomorrow Father will take me to see what the mistress of a high-class family looks like. Father, I'm going to the brothel for a beauty treatment. Do you want to come? I got a membership card, so you can use mine. Men can go in during the day."
Xu Zheng was dressed in a black robe with golden lotus flowers embroidered on the wide sleeves. The man was handsome, with a face like jade, red lips, and white teeth. His brows exuded a heroic air, and he was the kind of person who didn't look old.
He initially intended to storm out, but then, remembering what his daughter had said, he asked...
"With you, can we go in during the day?"
"Yeah, the girls' performances are even better during the day, shall we go, Dad?"
"Okay, I want to use that plum blossom ointment too."
Men also care about their appearance; otherwise, how could he not look old?
Xu Zheng was drinking and chatting with the elders of the Hou family inside the house. Xu Qiushui was kicked out to take Hou Xiangxiang with her. Actually, the little girl didn't want to play with her either, as they had nothing in common. This young lady would throw money at her all the time, making herself seem quite useless.
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