Chapter 461 Returning Home in Glory
Ling Yi came quietly, stayed for two days to finalize the partnership matters, and then returned quietly.
He now had a lot to do. The first thing he had to do was to distribute the wages that his aunt had asked him to take back to each household - the amount also shocked him.
Of course, it wasn’t much for him, but not everyone was a prince, and most of them were ordinary people who couldn’t get enough food.
He never thought that the dividends his aunt would give him would be so much. It was two cents higher than his wages, and he could also get an advance. Each of the first guys who came could take home three taels of silver, and the later guys could also get an advance of two taels of silver!
Even the two taels of silver that arrived later could help their families get through the cold winter.
First there were more than 30 people, and this time there were more than 80 people. There were nearly 120 of the poorest and most miserable families, and he didn't need to worry about them.
This was only a small part of the income. The bulk of the income came from purchasing cattle and sheep. Batches of cattle and sheep were continuously shipped in, and the silver they brought back was enough to cover the expenses of almost all the herdsmen in Blackwater City.
Next are the precious raw materials, a lot of which are sold to brush workshops. Although the amount is not much, it has gradually brought income to more than a dozen hunters.
In addition to distributing silver, he also had to continue selecting people, collecting money, and opening a shop with his aunt;
As for those veterans who were injured and retired, they also had to arrange appropriate routes in advance according to their temperaments...
Shen Qing started to open a branch store.
With the experience of the previous two times, opening the branch was particularly smooth.
The Tonglu Hotpot branch takes a high-end approach, suitable for dinner gatherings of wealthy and powerful people who value privacy, while the Mala Hotpot branch takes a mid-range approach, which can also be afforded by ordinary officials and wealthier vendors. The positioning of the two branches is different from that of the head office, and each is prosperous in its own way.
Shen Qing waited until the branch store was back on track before he prepared to return to Hulu Village.
Because of Su Mu, their means of transportation has changed from a donkey cart to a horse cart. Not only can the horse cart carry more people, but it is also twice as fast!
Therefore, the travel time was shortened by more than half. It only took four or five days to get from the capital to Hulu Village.
Compared with the speed of the donkey cart before, Shen Qing was already very satisfied.
In the spacious double-horse carriage, a thick cotton mattress was laid on the floor, which kept the passengers warm and also reduced shock, preventing the ride from being too bumpy.
The carriage is also wrapped with cotton cloth to keep warm, so it won't hurt too much if it bumps into something when the car stops suddenly. The door curtains are made of sheepskin, which is windproof, rainproof and snowproof.
There is also a food box at the corner outside the carriage, and the four corners are wrapped with cotton cloth with five layers to prevent it from being scratched.
The first layer contains sesame candy, peanut candy, milk candy, ginger candy and other sugars that can quickly replenish physical strength and sweeten the mouth;
The second layer is plum cakes, Fujian dried plums, apricot preserves and other candied fruits that can relieve greasiness and prevent motion sickness;
The third and fourth layers are filled with snacks such as osmanthus cake, thousand-layer cake, and preserved vegetable sesame cakes;
The top layer is filled with soft and fluffy egg cake.
Shen Qing was the only one in the huge carriage. She was wearing a thick and soft cotton coat, and a black and shiny fur cloak on the outside. She was lying on the fluffy and soft mattress with her legs spread out, and she breathed a long sigh of relief.
It’s so comfortable. The days when I was fleeing on the road seem so long ago. I never thought that the road could be so comfortable.
The configurations of the two cars behind were the same as Shen Qing's, except that there were more people inside.
But, everyone was satisfied.
The last car was loaded with goods, including Jiang Yu's dowry, the betrothal gifts prepared by the Lei family, and various small gifts that Shen Qing brought to his family and villagers.
The entire carriage was packed.
On the seventh day of the winter month, Shen Qing and his group finally arrived at Hulu Village.
After the gong sounded, the whole village was boiling!
Old and young, men and women, people from the sugar factory, embroidery factory, soap factory, and brush factory... everyone couldn't wait and ran out in the severe cold.
The crowd was crowded at the entrance of the village, and everyone's face was filled with excitement.
"Shen Qing, you're finally back! You've been gone for more than three months, right? I've missed you so much."
"We've heard that Xiangnan brings back good news from time to time, and it's all good. We're really worried, because we're afraid he'll only report good news and not bad news. But we're so far away in this valley, we can't help at all."
"Good to be back, let's have a good chat. Are you going to stay until after the Chinese New Year? Or are you not going out?"
Someone spotted Jiang Xiangdong and Huo Bing in the car behind them and exclaimed, "Xiangdong and Huo Bing, you're finally back! It's been almost a year since we last saw each other."
"Stop chatting here. Let's make way for them and let their carriage go back first. There are two children waiting at home."
The six people who had followed the two of them had already returned. Knowing that they were safe, they were happy to see them, but not too surprised.
Moreover, they had already learned about the customs and habits of Bashu from the six people, and now they wanted to pull Shen Qing aside to chat.
I heard that Shen Qing is a first-rank lady!
What kind of product is this? Is it powerful or not?
Huo Bingjiang was eager to return home. Looking at his mother who was surrounded by people, he shouted, "My dear uncles and elders, why don't you go sit in our main hall and chat? It's warm there."
The north wind was howling. My mother had been running around for several days and couldn't stand out in the cold wind. It would be easy to get a headache if she was exposed to the cold wind for too long.
When everyone heard this, they immediately responded, "Okay!"
The crowd marched towards Shen Qing's main hall.
The ground dragon is lit as soon as winter comes, and it is as warm as spring. When Shen Qing returns home, he sighs comfortably: A nest of gold or silver is not as good as your own doghouse!
Besides, this place is not a doghouse. It is more comfortable than the farmhouse in the capital. There is no floor heating there, so the only way to keep warm is to sit cross-legged on the kang.
Once the outside issues are resolved, she will return to the village to retire and enjoy her retirement life in advance!
There were too many people to fit into the main hall. After squeezing for a while, the young people found they couldn't squeeze in, so they had to return to the workshop to continue working.
Jiang Shui, Jiang Yu and others were busy serving tea. There were too many people and there wasn't enough hot water in the cups, so they had to let the elders drink first.
Everyone came mainly to listen to Shen Qing talk about what happened in the capital, and didn't care about the tea at all.
Everyone stared at Shen Qing with bright eyes.
Shen Qing told him how Prince Lingtai had made things difficult for her, how his father, the emperor, happened to be upstairs, and how he had conferred a first-rank imperial title on her.
Suddenly, there was a sound of gasps and gulps of saliva: "Auntie, have you seen the emperor?"
"What's the emperor like? Does he have three heads and six arms?"
"Still extra tall? I've heard storytellers describe them as being much taller than ours."
"The Emperor is definitely a wise ruler. Look, he didn't help his son, but helped you instead."
"Of course, only small families would spoil their sons without knowing right from wrong. I heard that those wealthy families discipline their children very strictly. What's it called? Family tradition!
Yes, family traditions, if you don’t follow the rules strictly, you can ruin all your family property! That’s how those prodigal sons come from. Look at those aristocratic families that have been around for hundreds of years, they are always strict.”
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