Chapter 26 General
No matter how evil a person is, he would not dare to reach out to the general's mansion.
Jun Shuwan: "I know, don't worry, Dad and Mom, I can do it."
In this village, girls of her age, even if they are not married, are already engaged. After what happened last time, the girls in the village are not willing to associate with her anymore.
The few times she went out, she always felt like someone was secretly watching her.
Being able to work as a maid in the general's mansion is the best place for her at the moment.
"But, Dad and Mom, if I go to the General's Mansion, I'm afraid I won't be able to go home every day. Dad has to go out to set up a stall every day, and my brother has gone to another world. Mom is alone at home. What should I do?"
Song Xirong: "Wan'er, don't worry. I've made an appointment with Sister Yuan next door. During the day, I will go over there and make fans with them. Your father will also be home early. Besides, everyone knows that your brother is depressed and doesn't want to go out, so they think he is at home."
If there are men at home, even the wicked will think twice.
Only then did Jun Shuwan feel relieved.
"I'm going to make some snacks and send them over to next door," she said.
I learned about this from a book. It's called egg cake. The ingredients are simple, basically flour, sugar, and eggs.
Jun Qiulan said, "Dad, please pull out some of that cotton mattress so we can take it over."
Since there are already white seeds in this world, he doesn't need to bring seeds back from another world.
As for whether Mrs. Huo would take it seriously and promote its planting in the future, it had nothing to do with him, the deposed crown prince.
I pulled a handful of cotton out of the mattress and it felt warm when I held it in my palm.
"When the weather gets cold, I'll buy a few cotton quilts from there."
"That's fine. Winter quilts here are mostly stuffed with wool. They keep you warm, but the wool always has a smell."
The father and son discussed it, wrote a visiting card, and then set off with the drawings.
The clothes she wore were newly made, of the fashionable style in the capital, but the material was of poor quality, giving people the impression that she was trying to be respectable.
But Jun Qiulan and the others wanted to send this signal to the outside world.
Jun Yu did not forget to carry his own shoulder bag, and Jun Qiulan helped his father share the burden of the folding table.
After settling down, Jun Qiulan walked out of the village for the first time.
The summer here is hot but short.
He remembered that when he first came, he could still see green wheat seedlings and rice in the fields, but now they have begun to turn yellow.
It's a sign that autumn is coming.
There are not many people in the city, and most of them are busy with their lives.
Jun Yu pointed to a place and said, "I used to set up a stall here to write letters for people."
It was at the entrance of a small street filled with small vendors, vegetable farmers, and firewood sellers. There were also a few women gathered together selling homemade purse handkerchiefs.
There is quite a lot of traffic.
"Hey, Mr. Jun, why are you so late today?"
The person asking the question was the owner of the pork shop next door.
Jun Yu: "I'm not setting up the stall this morning. I have something to do. Can I put my small table in your shop?"
"Okay, my kid can now write the names of all his family members, all thanks to Mr. Jun."
It is not easy for ordinary people to learn to write a few words in this era.
A butcher like him is not considered poor in the border town, but those teachers don’t want to accept a butcher’s son. Mr. Jun is better.
When he heard that Mr. Jun's family was exiled here, he laughed. He wondered how many people in this town were unjustly exiled.
Mr. Jun looks gentle and refined, he is definitely not a bad person.
Jun Yu smiled and explained to his son, "This kid from the Zhu family always likes to watch me write and draw, so I taught him a few words."
Jun Qiulan nodded. It was a good thing that his father had someone familiar to take care of him at the stall.
After putting all the things away, they went to the general's mansion.
Jun Yu sent a visiting card to the doorman and slipped him a few copper coins.
"Thank you for your help, young man. We are old acquaintances of Madam Huo, and we are not here to ask for money. We want to send some things over. It depends on whether Madam Huo can use them."
Jun Qiulan felt a little sad.
His father's behavior seemed a bit materialistic, but he could also imagine that it was the unspoken rules that his father had understood after encountering difficulties during his absence.
They were in a border town, and their status was not even as high as that of an ordinary honest family.
On the contrary, in another world, he met only good people.
The servant took the money and, seeing that the two men had extraordinary demeanor, went in and delivered the visiting card.
But they waited for a long time before the servant came out.
"Madam, please come in."
Jun Qiulan and Jun Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was normal for Mrs. Huo not to want to have anything to do with them given their status. That was the only way she could have a hope by putting cotton in the visiting card.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence or because they had been waiting for a long time, but someone rushed to the military camp to call General Huo back.
Jun Qiulan bowed respectfully and said, "Junior greets General Huo and Madam Huo."
Jun Yu also bowed.
No matter what their previous identities were, they are now exiled prisoners.
Mrs. Huo dodged and refused the courtesy: "This morning, I heard the birds singing in the yard, and I was wondering if someone important was coming. Now, he has come. Please take a seat."
It also left some dignity for the father and son.
General Huo looked unhappy. "Why did the Prince and the Crown Prince come to my General's Mansion? If you have anything to say, please speak directly."
Jun Qiulan: "I am just a criminal now, and I cannot bear the title of Your Highness from General Huo. I came here today for two reasons. One is the cotton in the visiting card."
He didn't waste any words and explained the warmth retention of the cotton and the difficulty of growing it.
Mrs. Huo: "If that's the case, this white fold is really a good thing."
If this thing is grown and handed in, it will be a great achievement.
They haven't seen the real thing yet, and don't know whether cotton is really that magical, so they haven't made any statement yet.
General Huo, however, was impatient. "Tell me, what do you want? You know your situation very well. I can't give you too many preferential treatments. At most, I can give you some money."
The deposed prince was exiled here, and he received the news as soon as he arrived at the border town.
He also secretly sent people to follow them for a few days, but seeing that the family was making a living honestly, he left them alone.
Normally, he hated talking to these literati. The family of the deposed prince was now a hot potato in the border town.
The spies sent from the capital are almost crowding into the city.
He was just a military general who didn't want to cause trouble, let alone get involved in the fight for the throne.
This family lives a miserable life. Jun Yu still sets up a stall in the city to write letters for people, but he can't make much money a day. If he wants to ask for some money today, it is easy to solve.
Jun Qiulan and Jun Yu saw the expressions of the couple.
But he didn't refute it.
Jun Qiulan handed over the blueprint of a loom at the right time. "I've seen this loom in a miscellaneous book before. It can increase weaving efficiency dozens of times. My mother's family is also in the fabric business, and this has been confirmed. Madam Huo, please take a closer look."
Can the efficiency of textile production be increased by dozens of times?
This is simply unheard of.
The military funds issued by the court every year are not enough. The weather in this border city is bitterly cold. If there are no warm clothes, the soldiers will be too cold to leave the tents. Who will go to fight?
That's why Mrs. Huo organized the women in the city to make winter clothes every autumn.
Not every soldier can get one. New soldiers can get one every year, and then they can get it again every three years. It is equivalent to a yearly rotation. Those who joined the army three years ago can get it again this year.
There was no other way. Soldiers were often beaten and their clothes were easily damaged. Three years of mending was the limit.
Winter clothes must also be made at the lowest cost, otherwise the budget will be exceeded and the soldiers will not have enough food.
The soldiers are also flesh and blood. We can't let them guard the border with an empty stomach.
If this textile machine can improve efficiency so much, wouldn't it greatly reduce labor costs?
Not only Mrs. Huo was excited, but Huo Lian could not sit still either.
"Jun Qiulan, are you serious?"
"That's absolutely true."
This textile machine came from a world that was thousands of years more advanced than theirs. He also found countless videos online and watched them over and over again.
There is also a video comparing it with traditional textile machines.
He said, "Just build the loom according to this blueprint and try it out, and you'll know."
This thing is undoubtedly more attractive to them than cotton.
There are many people raising sheep in border towns. Although wool is difficult to process, it can keep you warm.
Textile machines are different. Not only can they be used, but they can also be used to do business.
There is not enough military funding, especially in recent years, it has become less and less. Every time I write to ask for military funding, I get all kinds of strange reasons.
Their family has to spend a lot of money every year.
Fortunately, Mrs. Huo's brother is a good businessman.
The couple stared at the drawings again and again.
Jun Qiulan's drawings are very detailed, with various annotations, usage methods, etc.
After a long time, the couple exchanged glances and understood each other.
"I've made my point clear just now, but since you've sent me the blueprints for this loom, I'm sure you're not asking for money."
If you ask for money and sell the blueprint, you can live a comfortable life in this border town.
Jun Qiulan bowed again, "I have a younger sister at home. It is really inconvenient for her to live in the village. Please, Madam, keep her by your side and keep her safe."
After hearing this, the couple understood.
This family all looks good.
Huo Lan had seen that little girl from afar once when he went to Beijing to report on his work. She was indeed a beauty.
If a beautiful woman is born into a poor family, her beauty will no longer be an advantage but will become her sin.
It’s not her fault, nor her beauty, but this border town that is incompatible with beauty.
Madam Huo sighed, "With your status now, everyone above is watching you. I'm afraid this matter won't be easy to handle."
Jun Qiulan: "Just ask Madam to keep her by your side as a maid to serve tea and water."
This makes things much easier.
Mrs. Huo hesitated for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be a big problem to add a maid to the mansion."
General Huo was still considering it, as he received an imperial edict two days ago asking him to go to Beijing to report on his work.
The emperor had always disliked him. If he hadn't been good at fighting and if the border town hadn't been relatively stable in recent years, he would have probably taken away his seal of command long ago and wouldn't have summoned him to the capital for many years.
He also doesn't like going to the capital to argue with people.
This time it's probably still related to the deposed crown prince.
Jun Qiulan added: "General and Madam can wait until the textile machine is built."
He could understand that General Huo had other issues to consider, but he didn't think that General Huo, who had been in the border town for so many years, couldn't even protect a little girl.
The key lies in whether General Huo is willing.
The couple looked at each other and said, "That's fine."
Mrs. Huo added, "Although this border town is not as good as the capital, with Old Huo in charge, we can live a peaceful and stable life without any problems."
It's also a knock.
I hope they won’t have other ideas because of this relationship.
Jun Qiulan and Jun Yu both understood what Mrs. Huo meant.
Jun Yu: "My father and I understand the good intentions of the General and his wife. Now we just want to live a good life. The troubles in the past have nothing to do with us anymore. It's just that my daughter is still young, so we have to be more considerate."
They also expressed their clear stance.
Mrs. Huo invited them to have lunch again, but both father and son refused.
After they left the general's mansion, the couple chatted for a while.
"I heard before that the deposed crown prince was depressed at home every day, and his family's livelihood depended on Jun Yu and his wife. But today, it seems that this is not the case."
"The higher-ups are watching closely. If he shows any enthusiasm for starting a new life, his family's life will probably be even worse than it is now. It's understandable that he went out for his sister this time."
"Madam, what do you think about the little princess's matter?"
"Go away, don't you already have a plan in mind? Don't you know how much help this blueprint can give you? I'm not going to do anything. A little girl, can't we have room for her in our general's mansion? How can a little girl stir up trouble right under our noses?"
"I'm just afraid that the guy above will make some other moves in a few days."
"In my opinion, as long as the deposed crown prince doesn't take any other action, the higher-ups will forget about him after a while. Don't you think about the open and covert fighting among the young princes in the court right now?"
The emperor is old, and the oldest of his princes is only three years old, and the youngest is only a few months old. Who among those people behind them doesn't want to seek wealth and glory?
When the court is in chaos, who will care about the deposed prince who is struggling to survive in the border town?
"You must be careful when you go to Beijing this time. Regarding the military budget, we should just leave it as is. There's no good outcome from arguing about it every year and cutting it every year."
"I understand. Madam, don't worry. I will leave tomorrow. I will leave the matters here to you. If the loom is really usable, you can send someone to pick up the girl."
Jun Qiulan and Jun Yu could roughly guess what the couple was talking about in private.
"This matter should be safe, Dad, don't worry."
Jun Yu sighed, "General Huo's family are all good people. They're not worried that Wan'er will suffer if she enters the Huo Mansion. I'm just worried that the one above will cause trouble again."
"They were targeting me," Jun Qiulan said. "Wan'er is a woman after all. In the eyes of those people, she poses no threat to them."
That's the truth.
It was a rare opportunity for Jun Yu and Jun Qiulan to go back to the city, so they took a stroll.
When they first arrived in the border town, the father and son ran all over the city looking for work. Now that the situation is better, they have the time to observe this place more.
Depression, real depression.
When Jun Qiulan was the crown prince, he also visited the people, but he had never seen such a poor place.
Instead, I saw a lot of large and small carts carrying a bunch of goods coming here to do business.
"My eldest cousin came to do business later, and my son also has some ideas."
Jun Yu seemed to be lost in thought. "Are you planning to bring some supplies from over there to sell? Isn't that a bit too conspicuous?"
If my father-in-law develops his business at a rapid pace again, the higher-ups will definitely not want to see it. Thinking of the money that was confiscated from the house before, they might find a random excuse to confiscate the house again.
Why add to that person's private treasury?
Jun Qiulan said, "Don't take things that are not available here. Take things that are available here, but of better quality."
Salt is something I dare not even think about.
But sugar is worth pondering.
These were all inspired by the novels he read about reselling goods between the two worlds.
Sugar was indeed an expensive commodity in their time, but in another world, supermarkets had all kinds of it and the prices were not expensive.
They can take less, as Jiangnan is a wealthy place and they don't have to worry about not getting a good price.
In the past, Jun Qiulan had not considered reselling, mainly because his identity was not suitable.
But my grandfather and his people were merchants. All they had to do was to find a way to blur the issue of supply, avoid shipping in large quantities, make a profit each time, and then close the door to live their own life.
"As long as you have the arrangements." Jun Yu had no objection. As long as the family was together in good times and bad times, it was more important than anything else. However, his father-in-law was indeed implicated by them.
I heard that Lan'er's little cousin's marriage was canceled.
The in-law relationships among each small family have also become quite complicated.
Now it is Jun Qiulan who has got this opportunity. Although he cannot restore the Song family to its glory as an imperial merchant, at least they will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives.
The father and son ate a bowl of vegetarian noodles on the roadside, which cost twelve cents in total.
"I ate some noodles with soybean paste there before, and it tasted really good. I'll bring it back for my parents to try someday."
"Okay, be careful over there too."
Jun Yu did not go back in the afternoon. Instead, he went to the entrance of a small street to set up a stall to write letters, and even put out a few fans as cover.
Jun Qiulan wanted to tell her father not to work so hard, since this stall was just for show.
But Jun Yu quite likes such days.
In the past, he was just a powerless prince with a nominal title. In order to avoid being too involved with the court, Jun Yu spent most of his time reading at home and occasionally went out fishing to relax.
Now that he is middle-aged, he feels that his life is becoming more fulfilling in this miserable border town.
Jun Qiulan didn't try to persuade him much, but just said, "Don't tire yourself out."
"Dad knows. You should go back early to accompany your mother. I have to nag you, but your dad is not old yet." Jun Yu enjoyed his son's concern, but he also felt that his son seemed to be too worried about them.
Jun Qiulan couldn't help laughing.
After returning home, he hid back in the house.
Didn't even go next door to say hello.
Jun Qiulan heard several aunts next door and in the village secretly teasing him, and he also heard his mother and younger sister stubbornly defending him.
I couldn't help but almost laughed out loud.
He needed to practice and improve his acting skills over there, but it turned out that his parents and younger sister's acting skills improved faster than his.
Back to the rental house.
Zhang Li sent several messages.
When he got off work yesterday, he asked Zhang Li to report to him if he had any extra work. Last night, he made a sudden decision to go to the General's Mansion and sent a message to Zhang Li in the middle of the night. However, he only saw the reply that Zhang Li sent him during the day.
Something said that he became popular through short videos.
Just this one sentence and a bunch of weird emoticons.
Jun Qiulan didn't understand. He? He became famous?
What's the meaning?
Replied to Zhang Li.
Maybe he was busy and didn't reply.
Jun Qiulan checked several groups and found no urgent need for actors.
He thought that he probably wouldn't be able to find a job as an extra in the afternoon, so he decided to go to the mountain to see Master Qingheng.
He had complicated feelings towards Master Qingheng.
Master Qingheng knew his secret, which made him panic and a little uneasy. After all, to him, he had only met Master Qingheng twice, and their relationship was better than a stranger.
But Master Qingheng helped him a lot.
If it weren't for Master Qingheng, he might still be an illegal resident. People with illegal resident status cannot make money normally, and may not be able to afford a mobile phone until now. His understanding of the world is even more one-sided.
After all, they helped him.
Jun Qiulan still had to call him Master after all.
Thinking of this, he went out, took a walk again, and brought some things back to Master Qingheng.
Master Qingheng didn't seem to be short of money. He couldn't afford expensive things for the time being, and it was inconvenient to go up and down the mountain, so he bought a lot of daily necessities and a whole roast chicken.
It's a little old man who loves food, and he has learned new words.
After this spending spree, half of the money he had was gone.
This is what he deserves. Regardless of whether he has other purposes or not, he has really helped him.
I have walked this mountain road once before, but the scenery is very different during the day and at night.
Jun Qiulan was still holding something in his hand, walking and stopping, feeling quite comfortable. At the same time, he also noticed that something was being built not far away.
What cable car did my junior apprentice brother talk about last time?
It is said that it will be convenient to go up and down the mountain, and the round trip will only take ten minutes.
Jun Qiulan simply checked it out, and wow, it was high-tech again.
It was that gentlemanly villain who funded its construction.
Oh, I shouldn't say that. After he and Yan Jing added each other on WeChat, they never chatted once. The chat interface was still stuck on the screen of him transferring money.
Yan Jing’s profile picture was pitch black, and it was impossible to tell whether there was any pattern inside.
Oh, there is also the circle of friends. Jun Qiulan didn’t add many people and didn’t pay much attention to it usually. But when he clicked it today, he saw that Yanjing had taken a photo of the fan and posted it on the circle of friends.
How should I put it, this feels a bit strange.
Before he could figure it out, Yan Jing's voice came from behind him.
"You didn't go to the theater today, so you're going back to the mountain?"
Jun Qiulan turned her head suddenly. Yan Jing was wearing a casual sportswear today, which made her look tall and slender.
He didn't answer, but asked: "What about you? Going to burn incense?"
Yan Jing nodded slightly, looked at the bags Jun Qiulan was carrying, and helped him carry one bag over. "It will take at most a month for the cable car to be open."
"oh."
After a pause, Jun Qiulan added: "Thank you."
The words seemed to fall to the ground and were picked up by Yan Jing.
"Why did you think of going down the mountain to become an actor?"
Jun Qiulan began to make up a story: "I have had a dream since I was a child..."
"stop."
The story was interrupted and Jun Qiulan curled the corners of his mouth.
The two chatted about this and that and arrived at the place in the evening.
Qing Heng happened to be out for a leisurely stroll and was surprised when he saw the two of them: "Why are you two together?"
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