Widow Zhang's family acted quickly. Early the next morning, her brother arrived pushing a cart. A normal cart, not a tricycle, required a person to push it. Widow Zhang was thinking of Zhuangzi's two tricycles.
Princess Rongning had it made a couple of days ago. I heard it took a long time to develop. But a tricycle is much more expensive than a bicycle, costing nearly three taels of silver, mainly because it can hold a lot of things.
Ordinary people didn't have much at home, so there was no need for a tricycle. Tricycles couldn't reach the mountains either; they were quite limited. Ordinary people, with their own strength, could use a pushcart. Unless they were doing business, a tricycle was fine.
Tricycles also have their own advantages, which is that they are faster than walking.
Some families use human-powered carts to commuter from the village to town. A tricycle is also human-powered, but it requires pedaling, which makes it feel different.
"New Year's Eve is coming soon," Widow Zhang said. "I think you can wait to buy this tricycle. You don't know how to do business. If you knew how to do business, you could ride the tricycle to sell some things."
Tricycles are not that fast, and if you really encounter bandits, they can still stop the tricycle, but they generally cannot ride a tricycle to a very far place.
"Don't you want to buy it?" asked Uncle Zhang.
"You can buy it. You can usually ride your tricycle to transport goods or people," Widow Zhang said. "You can earn more money transporting goods. You might even make one or two taels of silver a month. If you want, go buy it. It's just that there's not much money right now, so if you want to buy, hurry up."
Widow Zhang was worried that her family members wouldn't know what to do, so she had to see how much money the family had and buy one. With so many people in the family, sometimes the farm didn't even need that many.
Besides, there are other people working in the village.
Widow Zhang thought she couldn't leave some of the family members idle. A tricycle would be a great addition. It used to take almost an hour to get to the county town, but with a tricycle, it would be much quicker. She could have the family members bring some goods to sell in the county town, and she could also have them do other work.
When other carpenters make tricycles, the price of tricycles will not be low either.
Haven't you seen the price of bicycles drop? Only by a few dozen coins. Some carpenters have better wood and add some fancy things to it, making it even more expensive.
Widow Zhang thought these things were too expensive. If they bought them and then put them aside and didn't use them, it would be a waste. They were practical people, so there was no need for those fancy things. They just wanted to keep it simple.
"I'm planning to buy one for my family," said Widow Zhang. "It's just perfect for them to do some work."
Widow Zhang thought a tricycle would be better. It was more expensive than a bicycle, but more practical and easier to carry. She planned to have the family get up early and take the goods out to sell.
It was almost Chinese New Year, so there would surely be even more people shopping. They might even bring in goods from farther away, so they didn't need to bring too much, just enough to get by.
"Think about it. If you think it's good enough and can work, then buy it," Widow Zhang said. "It's more than two taels of silver, almost three taels. It's really expensive. We've just started selling it now, so there should be better ones later. But if you're waiting for something better, then don't buy it."
By that time, others have done more things, and they just started.
"But it's the same when you buy a cow," Widow Zhang said. "If it's a cow, you have to be more careful with it."
The government paid great attention to oxen for farming. If those people raised cattle, the government would sometimes send people to check on the cattle.
Widow Zhang believed that cattle needed to be fed and could be easily tired, and if they got sick, they wouldn't necessarily recover. If a tricycle broke down, she could just fix it and it would be alright.
Both have their own advantages. Most people don't raise cattle, and it would be inconvenient if every household raised cattle.
"Then buy one." Liu Da's brain wasn't that good, but he knew his sister wouldn't cheat him. Those things must be useful, otherwise, his sister wouldn't say that. They were just learning a little bit. "Your second brother also needs some culture medium."
"He hasn't come yet, so you come and move it for him." Widow Zhang felt that her second brother was not very useful. He didn't come unless there was something to do.
"It's not much, just pushing the cart back." Liu Da didn't think it was a big deal. Brothers should help each other.
"Now that you've said that, how can I stop you from moving?" Widow Zhang said, "Okay, okay, let's do it."
Widow Zhang waved her hand. "These people from my family are troublesome too. None of them are that smart. If they were a little smarter, our family would have been rich long ago."
Some of the people who bought bicycles earlier had already made some money, and some had even earned back their original investment. Some people were smart and made some money by riding their bicycles to carry some things back and forth.
Most people just think about using bicycles to travel between the village and town, and want to have a grand wedding, and don’t think about doing anything else.
Widow Zhang mainly felt that a bicycle was not convenient for carrying both people and things, and if the stupid people in her family were allowed to go out alone, it would probably be of no use.
Tricycles are good. If one or two more people go out at home, they can ride the tricycle back and forth and take care of each other.
Suixin Shop started selling tricycles. Tricycles were more expensive, but the first people to grab the tricycles were the carpenters. The carpenters, who had tasted the sweetness of bicycles before, came to buy them as soon as they learned that Suixin Shop was selling tricycles.
Even if it costs three taels of silver, they will buy it. After they see how the tricycle is made, they will be able to sell it later.
The blacksmith shop in the town is also very popular. Tricycles require copper, iron and other materials, and the blacksmith shop can also make them.
By the time Widow Zhang arrived, Suixin's shop had already sold several tricycles. Those people had to go to the warehouse to pick up tricycles, not pick them up at the shop.
Liu Yulian also had a convertible top installed on the tricycle. People could use the top or not, and they could just remove it.
"You came at the perfect time. Only a few cars are left and they're all sold out. We'll have to wait a few more days," said the guy.
"That's just good luck." Widow Zhang said with a smile.
At this moment, Liu Yulian was a guest at Princess Zhaoyang's house, and many daughters of officials were also present at the banquet. Liu Yulian's status was considered good, so those daughters of officials naturally did not dare to say anything about her.
Liu Yulian didn't usually have much contact with those rich girls. Even if they were choosing a husband, Liu Yulian already had a fiancée. There was no competition between Liu Yulian and these rich girls, and she didn't always show off how powerful she was.
"What kind of books does the princess usually read? Does she compose poems or paint?" a girl asked Liu Yulian.
"All kinds of books," Liu Yulian said. "For example, how to grow strawberries, how to plant chestnuts, how to make wool yarn, that's it. Before, I found these books very interesting at home, but I didn't know how to recite poetry or paint."
"Is that so?" The girl had heard at home that Princess Rongning was well-educated, and her parents praised her, saying that she could bring up the family even better on her own. She wanted to object, thinking that the girls were just eating and drinking. But she really didn't have that much ambition.
"Yes." Liu Yulian nodded. "That's all because I have cheats." "Everyone is good at different things."
"Yes..." The girl wanted to ask again, but felt a little embarrassed, "Does the princess still have those books? Can we take a look at them?"
"Some of the books are gone, but I still remember some. If they are successful, I will write them down." Liu Yulian said, "The ones that are not successful are just incomplete, and I don't know if I can get them out."
In fact, these girls knew they couldn't do it. They usually only studied the female precepts and rules, so how could they understand anything else? If they were to learn so much, it would be difficult and they wouldn't understand it.
"If you want to read, you can go to the bookstore and buy some more books." Liu Yulian said, "Those books are also very good, with a wide variety of them. You can learn a lot from them."
Liu Yulian often goes to bookstores. One should not underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. Later generations have unearthed ancient artifacts during archaeological excavations, but found that they cannot be copied. Some people think that these artifacts were probably a trick used by the ancients to deceive others, and that there are no such good things.
Liu Yulian believes that ancient people were highly intelligent. She doesn't mean that later generations have high IQs while ancient people have low IQs. Ancient people knew a lot. They didn't have electricity or many high-tech gadgets, but they had brains, and they were able to do a lot.
"Just reading these books doesn't guarantee you'll come up with anything," Liu Yulian said. "But if you learn more, you'll understand more. Who knows, maybe one day you'll have a flash of inspiration and create something."
Some people heard Liu Yulian's words and actually thought so. What if they really figured out something?
They also want to be county princesses, and they also want to be princesses...
Just because most people won't come up with anything from their research doesn't mean they can't look more closely. What if a blind cat stumbles upon a dead mouse?
Liu Yulian did not say that it would definitely succeed, and it was impossible for her to stop these people.
Fortunately, few people forced Liu Yulian to recite poems and compose essays. Liu Yulian had already returned some of the knowledge to the teacher, and it was impossible for her to recite Tang and Song poems.
Even if this is a fictional dynasty, those poems were not written by the same person and it might be discovered.
The setting sun over the long river, the lone smoke rising in the desert... and then there are the crashing waves, the Red Cliff and so on... those who have a brain will know that it is unlikely that these contents came from one person after a little thought.
Liu Yulian is just a girl in the boudoir. She may have read many books, but she has not really been to so many places, and she cannot write those poems.
At the banquet, the girls were able to have fun together, in groups of three or four. Some of them liked poetry, while some who were not good at poetry just ate.
Princess Zhaoyang saw many people gathered around Liu Yulian and talking, with a smile on her face. She didn't want all these people to surround her. If they surrounded her and ignored Liu Yulian, that would not be good.
Liu Yulian felt that her face was becoming stiff because she had to smile even though she was talking so much.
"You must have gone out a lot when you were in the capital, right?" Princess Zhaoyang asked Liu Yulian.
"I did go out." Liu Yulian nodded. "It's okay. I basically don't talk much."
There were many noble ladies in the capital, including many daughters of high status. Liu Yulian had a legitimate sister, so those noble ladies did not think much of Liu Yulian.
Liu Yulian is younger and has a marriage contract, so naturally no one wants to talk to her about those things.
Since the Liu family arrived in the northwest, the eldest branch of the Liu family hadn't held a large banquet. Money was scarce, so they tried to save as much as possible, avoiding extravagance. With so few people in the family, they simply wanted to gather within the family.
"When I come here, they always ask me what books I read," Liu Yulian said a little embarrassedly. "I told them, but I can't quite remember the titles. I also buy some books from the bookstore. My mother also said that when we move back to Beijing, my books will be the most likely to be brought back."
Liu Yulian loved reading those books. She thought she didn't need to bring the storybook back to the capital, but could take some other useful books with her. She couldn't just write down the title and then go to the bookstore in the capital to see if there was a similar book.
"If you don't take the books back with you, then we'll build a house and put all the books inside," Liu Yulian said. "Anyone who wants to read them can come and see them, but they can't take the books away."
"Those books you have aren't for the imperial examinations," Princess Zhaoyang chuckled. "But maybe in the future, they'll have to learn about these things too."
"Not everyone can pass the imperial examination," Liu Yulian said. "If you can't, read more of these books; they might be helpful."
"If you think that, aren't you afraid that others will think you're cursing them?" Princess Zhaoyang said, "It shouldn't be a problem. There are always people who fail the exam."
Among those who came to attend Princess Zhaoyang's banquet, some did not like Liu Yulian, such as the girl from the Cen family.
The Cen family girl thought Liu Yulian was too prominent. For a girl like her, she didn't even read the rules for women. Such a girl should be engaged early. Otherwise, when Liu Yulian reached the age of marriage, even if someone was interested in her princess status, it would not be a good marriage for her.
"We girls should learn more about women's rules and regulations. If that's not possible, we should learn needlework." The Cen family girl said to the people around her, "If we don't know these things, who will support us when we are no longer in our own family?"
The mother of the girl from the Cen family has always asked the girls in the family to do so. Mrs. Cen feels that if the girl does not learn more about these things, she will be easily bullied by her in-laws.
Madam Cen had heard about Liu Yulian's story, but she still thought she was too strong. How many men could tolerate such a strong woman? Women should be more gentle and there was no need to act so strong. Women didn't need to participate in the imperial examinations.
Liu Yulian was sitting not far away and happened to hear what Miss Cen said, but she did not rush up to say that Miss Cen was wrong.
Different women have different opinions, and Liu Yulian never tries to stop them. Miss Cen's opinion is the opinion of many women in this world, and it is universal. Liu Yulian is an exception.
Liu Yulian would never use individual cases to challenge universality, as that would easily lead to a bloody collision.
"Have some cakes." Princess Zhaoyang also heard what Miss Cen said. She asked Liu Yulian to sit down and eat the cakes, then turned to look at Miss Cen. "Since you like Women's Rules so much, how about this? I'll give you a few copies. If you go back and copy them a few times, it will help you remember them better. Who knows, one day you might be able to recite them by heart."
Princess Zhaoyang was not a big fan of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, as her previous in-laws loved to say that. Princess Zhaoyang couldn't stand those people, and she had already divorced her husband who had a concubine, so naturally she didn't like Miss Cen saying those things.
Miss Cen did not appear to be making things difficult for Liu Yulian, but her actions were undoubtedly a slap in the face of Liu Yulian and Princess Zhaoyang.
Miss Cen's face changed slightly. She didn't expect Princess Zhaoyang to say that.
"Let's not talk about needlework," Princess Zhaoyang said with a smile, "you'll learn it yourself eventually."
"Yes." Miss Cen could only respond, and she dared not say anything wrong about Princess Zhaoyang.
Miss Cen didn't dare say anything else, for fear of upsetting Princess Zhaoyang.
After lunch, Miss Cen wanted to leave, but no other girls left immediately, and some girls planned to stay overnight. Miss Cen was afraid that if she left at this time, people would think she was kicked out by Princess Zhaoyang, so she stayed too.
Liu Yulian saw Miss Cen's frustration and thought that this was the feudal class.
However, Liu Yulian did not stay with Princess Zhaoyang for long. She lived in the town and then went back.
Liu Yulian also told her mother about some things that happened in Princess Zhaoyang's mansion, and also about Miss Cen.
"The Cen family." Mother Liu thought of something. "The girls in their family are basically like this. Women who marry into their family will always ask the same of their daughters in the future. The girls who marry out of their family are all considered...dignified and virtuous, and are considered good daughters-in-law by many people."
Even though the Cen family treated their daughters that way, many families were attracted to the Cen family girls. The Cen family girls knew how to support their husbands and raise their children, and knew how to take concubines for their husbands. They were very good in all aspects.
Miss Cen came to the Northwest with her parents. Her father was a civil official in the Northwest, not a military commander. His official position was not particularly high, but it was considered respectable in the Northwest.
In addition, the Cen family is a large family, so Princess Zhaoyang naturally invited Miss Cen.
"But women like this usually only earn respect from men." Mother Liu's deepest impression of the Cen family's daughters was something she thought other women would find difficult to do. "One Cen family daughter took a concubine for her husband less than a month after getting married. There were even mothers who, on the day their daughters returned home, suggested taking a concubine for their sons-in-law."
Liu's mother was really shocked at that time. The girl from the Cen family was actually so virtuous.
Who can compare to the girl from the Cen family? Mother Liu thinks she can't compare to her. This is clearly a stab in her heart.
It's not common to let a man take a concubine right after getting married. At least they have to wait a few months, a year or two. Those families who respect their wives a little bit more will wait a few years before taking a concubine, until the wife gives birth to a legitimate son.
"You can't be so confused in the future." said Liu's mother.
"That's impossible." Liu Yulian couldn't do it. "If he takes a concubine, I'll divorce him."
Liu Yulian thinks simply, she is not an ordinary woman.
"When girls from outside marry into the Cen family, the Cen family men are not in a hurry to take concubines." Liu's mother added, "They are quite respectful to them and at least wait a few years."
Therefore, many families are willing to marry their daughters into the Cen family, and many families are willing to marry daughters from the Cen family.
At this time, someone was inviting Miss Cen to take a walk in the town.
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