Qingsong wasn't bragging; he brought back six thousand silver notes this time.
How long has it been?
It is evident that the consumption level in Nanjing is very high, with people spending money like water.
"Mom, Big Brother, people in Jinling are really rich, but the ingredients there are expensive too. Every day before dawn, I have to take Little Tiger and Little Horse to 'grab' vegetables..."
Qingsong complained that no one in the city grows vegetables, so if you want to eat vegetables, you have to spend money to buy them in the East Market.
There are so many restaurants and shops here, it's a real hassle to choose the vegetables and meat every morning.
If you go too early, the vegetable vendors won't be here yet; if you go too late, all the good vegetables will be gone!
He suffered this loss at the beginning, but Fangfang helped him find someone, which solved his immediate problem.
"Don't mistreat yourself after you make money; consider hiring a few more helpers."
Qingshan saw his second brother build his business from scratch, and he knew all the hardships his brother had endured, even though his brother didn't say it. As the elder brother, he was aware of it all.
“Qingsong, your brother is right. If we don’t have enough manpower, we need to add more. If we’re worried about the safety of hired people, we should buy them.”
Jiang Yue flipped through the account books her son had brought back. The turnover was several times that of Taohua County. No wonder the business had been revitalized in just a few months.
"Yes, Mother, I know. I'll listen to you and my elder brother. I'll hire a few more workers when I get back."
Qingsong nodded, then yawned.
He was trapped.
"Go back to your room and sleep first. If the blankets aren't warm enough, let Aunt Ge know."
Seeing this, Jiang Yue chased the people away. After chasing away the second brother, she handed the account book to the eldest brother to take a look.
“Mother, my second brother is doing a great job. One of his shops is equivalent to the profits of most of the shops I run.”
Qingshan was astonished after seeing it, wondering how prosperous Jinling Prefecture must be.
"Indeed, but you did very well too, so there's no need to belittle yourself."
Jiang Yue comforted her eldest son and then told him to go to town tomorrow and buy more meat to take home.
Don't forget the firecrackers and red paper, so that their whole family can have a happy reunion this year and enjoy good food and drink!
"Oh, Mom, go and rest now. I'm going back to put Little Wonton to sleep too."
Aoyama agreed and went back into the house with a smile...
Little Wonton was lying on his back on the kang (a heated brick bed). Perhaps because he was hot, his hands and feet were moving restlessly, and he was making "puff puff puff" protesting sounds.
"Honey, are the wontons hot yet?"
"Oh dear, I was so busy changing her diaper that I didn't notice. Let me take off one layer for her."
"Hey, let me help you."
Although the couple were first-time parents, they had a good relationship and discussed everything together.
"I thought you were going to talk to Mother and my second brother until midnight."
As she spoke, Da Xue placed the undergarments she had taken off her daughter inside the blanket so that they would still be warm when her daughter put them on.
“It can’t take that long. Second brother is tired after a long day and is sleepy. Mother is urging him to go to sleep.”
Qingshan patiently explained, then took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and handed them to his wife, saying:
"Look how capable my second brother is! He's managed to get us another large sum of money."
"Wow, so many! But these flimsy silver notes aren't as solid as real silver. Husband, could you exchange them for real silver when you have some free time and then give them to me?"
Da Xue was somewhat surprised to see so many silver notes.
However, she still preferred silver ingots to banknotes.
In Huaxian County, there are money shops where you can exchange banknotes for silver at any time.
"Okay, I'll listen to my wife~"
After Qingshan finished speaking, he took advantage of his daughter's inattention and lightly pecked his wife on the cheek.
Da Xue covered the spot where she had been kissed, the heat making her feel a little embarrassed.
Therefore, he scolded her fiercely:
"Quickly soak your feet and get some fresh air before going to bed~"
"Yes, sir!"
......
Zhulu Academy
In the house.
Liu Yunfei brought in a food box from home and told the two bookworms to start a fire and brew tea.
"Brother Liu, why aren't you at home with your sister-in-law? Why did you climb over the wall and enter the academy?"
Wu Changjun closed the book and carefully placed it beside his pillow. Upon hearing this, he slowly put on his clothes and shoes and went to the charcoal stove in the center of the room to add charcoal.
"Don't even mention it! Your sister-in-law is a tigress. When she's nice, she's all sweet talk and caring, but when she's mean, she's absolutely ruthless! She'll pin me down on the bed and grab me like that!"
Liu Yunfei had a long face, clearly feeling wronged.
"Changjun, don't listen to his side of the story."
Wu Qingyun was woken up by the noise. After lifting the covers, he added a cool remark.
He had long seen through this flawed excuse; only Changjun was naive enough to offer a few words of comfort.
"Brother Qingyun, don't always undermine your older brother."
Liu Yunfei said with a grin, but his composure instantly crumbled.
"Well, Brother Liu, you've tricked me again!"
Wu Changjun glared angrily and said, "He even sympathized with Brother Liu!"
"Hehe, Changjun, your brother has brought fine wine and food, and even beef!"
Liu Yunfei opened the food box, revealing three meat dishes inside: braised beef, braised pork, and braised chicken.
"Smells good, doesn't it? There are also peanuts and wine. Come on, come on! The academy will be closed for the holidays tomorrow, and the three of us brothers will have to be separated for a while. I'm very reluctant to part with you. Tonight, I won't go home until I'm drunk."
Wu Changjun hesitated for a moment, then looked at his leader, Qingyun.
He was relieved after Qingyun nodded.
"However, drinking too much is not good; just a small sip is enough."
"Alright, alright, I know you can't hold your liquor, so I didn't prepare too much. I just wanted to have a few drinks with you guys and eat some snacks..."
Liu Yunfei chuckled, thinking to himself that even if Changjun passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he would still follow Qingyun's lead.
However, his father had a very high opinion of Qingyun, and even the old man thought highly of Qingyun.
He pursed his lips. Was Liu Yunfei really that bad?
"Come, come, let's wish that next year's poetry gathering will make us three brothers the rising stars of Anqing Prefecture's literary scene!"
"Brother Liu, are you sure your article can stand out?"
"Why not? My father said my writing is so brilliant it's earth-shattering and awe-inspiring. A little poetry gathering is nothing."
"Changjun, eat more vegetables and talk less."
"Oh, I've learned something."
"Haha, good wine! Eat up! This beef was something I went through a lot of queuing up to buy!"
........
The neighbors, smelling the odor, couldn't sleep. They all put on their clothes and shoes, knocked on doors, and shouted to join in.
Hmph, good stuff is something we keep to ourselves and eat!
We won't let outsiders eat it!
Liu Yunfei wolfed down his food, showing no trace of the demeanor of a refined gentleman.
Changjun silently moved a few steps toward Qingyun, quickening his movements.
He agreed that while other things Liu said might not be entirely true, good things should naturally be enjoyed by our own people.
Since enrolling, besides the heavy coursework, I've spent most of my time with Brother Liu and Qingyun.
His classmates treated him based on his family background, perhaps knowing that he came from an ordinary farming family, and they only had nodding acquaintances with him, without any deep friendship.
When he was sick, only Brother Liu and Qingyun took turns caring for him; no one else ever visited him...
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