Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

After lunch, Hu Yingjie came back with the agreement, on which Su Zhe's name had been signed. As expected, the content was the same as the conditions set at the amusement park, both of which were 30% of the profits.

Gu Huanxi asked a few questions casually, "Look, how is Su Qishao's spirit?"

Hu Yingjie considered, "Compared to before, he is much more stable and seems more reliable."

Gu Huanxi smiled, it seems that he has made some progress, "How about other businesses?"

Hu Yingjie nodded. "I told you that everything is still normal. The war has had little impact. On the farm, as you ordered, we have recruited more people this year. We are sew- ing gloves, hats, down vests, down capes, knee pads and wrist guards. We have already stockpiled quite a few. We should be able to reach the quantity you requested before the snow starts..."

"That's good. Speeding up the work is important, but we must not slack off on quality. If we damage our reputation, it will be difficult to recover." Gu Huanxi reminded, "Don't think it's too much trouble. Only after a thorough inspection can the products be put into storage."

Hu Yingjie solemnly agreed and asked, "You want to donate to the army that Brother Xu San is in?"

Gu Huanxi did not hide it, "Yes, it is also very cold in the south in winter. It is different from the dry cold here. The humidity is heavy at the seaside. If you don't dress warmly, you will easily get sick, and you will suffer when you are old."

Hearing this, Hu Yingjie couldn't help but reveal some worry, "Do you think this battle will take a long time?"

Gu Huanxi smiled bitterly and shook his head, "How should I know? It's better to be prepared. I just hope there will be a result before the New Year."

Hu Yingjie frowned, looking like he was worried about something.

Seeing this, Gu Huanxi asked him, "What's wrong?"

Hu Yingjie said, "I'm worried that the court will recruit soldiers again. A few days ago, many people were already unable to survive just by paying grain. If they recruit soldiers again, my family will be left without labor, and I'm afraid it will be even harder to endure."

"If we conscript soldiers now... it's mandatory, right?"

"Well, during wartime conscription, few people are willing to sign up. Who doesn't fear death? So, it's all compulsory, one per household."

"What if there are no men of the right age at home, or if they are unwilling to go?"

"Use silver to compensate, at least ten taels, but if there are not enough soldiers, using silver will not work."

Hearing this, Gu Huanxi finally understood why he was so worried. "You are the only one of your generation who is of the right age, right?"

Hu Yingjie said "hmm".

Gu Huanxi was helpless for a moment, "Is there no other way?"

Hu Yingjie said, "There is another way."

"what?"

"Buy someone to take your place, but in this case, it will cost more silver. Normally, buying a healthy young man as a slave would only cost about twenty silver taels, but at this time, the broker will ask for fifty silver taels."

"This is spending fifty taels to buy yourself a life..." If it comes to compulsory conscription, it means that the war on the front is not going well, which leads to a large consumption of manpower. Soldiers who are hastily conscripted have not been trained at all and rashly go to the battlefield, which is almost the same as committing suicide.

"It's buying life, but how many ordinary people can afford it?" Fifty taels is enough for a family to live on for several years.

Gu Huanxi sighed. No matter when, the unlucky ones are always the people at the bottom of society. The world suffers whether it prospers or perishes.

Hu Yingjie added, "I'm telling you all this so that you can be prepared. If it comes to that, Hutian Village will also be forced to conscript soldiers. The workshops and farms may not have enough manpower. If they all use silver to pay for the labor, or buy people to replace them... Not every family may be willing to do so, and those who are willing may not be able to do so. It is very likely that they will ask you for help. You should make plans early to avoid further trouble."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you..."

After Hu Yingjie left, Gu Huanxi sat alone in the warm hall and pondered for a while, then asked the maid to call Gu Yilai. He was one of the first people bought by Xu Huaiyi. After training for more than half a year, he has grown into a qualified security guard. There are more than 20 security guards in the house, all of whom are in charge of him. There are several more groups of people being trained in the farm. All together, there are more than 100 people in the team.

She went to Gu Yi to ask if there was anyone willing to take money to go to the battlefield for someone else. Although it was a dangerous job, fortune and wealth were to be found in danger. If one could win the battle and return safely, he could join the army, which was more promising than being a security guard.

What if there are people who like to achieve great things, just like Xu Huaiyi, who gives up a stable life and yearns for that kind of life? She finds it scary, but he finds it thrilling.

This is what it means for everyone.

So, she also wanted to give them a chance.

Unexpectedly, after listening to it, Gu Yi showed no interest. Others were also uninterested. They all said that they would like to stay in the Gu family as security guards. They would be satisfied with five taels of silver a month and food and drink. They had no desire to achieve success.

Seeing this, Gu Huanxi had no choice but to give up.

At night, she told this to Xu Huaiyi, with a puzzled tone, "Are the guards in our family too unambitious in their training? Their kung fu is not low now. If they go to the battlefield, they may not be cannon fodder. They may get some merits, change their family status, and achieve class leap. Now the opportunity is almost in front of them, why is no one interested?"

Xu Huaiyi explained, "That's because you haven't been a soldier, so you don't know how hard it was to be a soldier in ancient times. If there was a way to survive, they wouldn't take the initiative to choose this one. It's better in peacetime. In wartime, every time you go out to fight, you risk your life. It's not an exaggeration to say that one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers."

Gu Huanxi glanced at his increasingly weathered and rough face and said, "It seems that you are deeply touched."

Xu Huaiyi smiled bitterly, "Of course not. I thought it was simple before. Only when I really got involved did I realize the hardship. Soldiers at the bottom of the army often don't get all their monthly pay. Arrears are common. They have two meals a day. Guess what they eat?"

Without waiting for her answer, he sighed, "When we're not fighting, we eat dry food in the morning, two steamed buns per person, and a big pot of stew, mainly vegetarian dishes, at most a few slices of meat, to give it a meaty taste. In the afternoon, we just drink porridge with pickles. Think about it, we're all grown men, what can we do with this amount of food? At most, we can be 50% full. During the war, we arrange three meals, which makes us full, but the taste is really not good. The cooks in the kitchen don't have any skills, they just cook the food. I originally wanted to establish a hard-working personality for myself, but I couldn't hold on after only two meals, so I had to follow the master's special kitchen."

Hearing this, Gu Huanxi didn't laugh at him, "Are you almost done eating the things you brought?"

Xu Huaiyi shook his head. "There are more. The master also brought a lot. He also asked people to hunt pheasants and rabbits several times on the way. There is enough to eat."

After saying that, he picked up the washed tomatoes in the fruit basket and took a big bite without hesitation. "I'm just particularly craving for fresh vegetables. The chef has mentioned it several times. I want to eat tomatoes and spicy hot pot."

Speaking of this, Gu Huanxi smiled and said, "I asked Xiaoyu to give gifts to those families. We didn't bring anything too expensive. Anyway, we can't compete with them in terms of wealth. What we think is expensive may just be ordinary things to them. So we gave them some freshly picked tomatoes and peppers. They are rare and seem friendly. As expected, they all liked them very much. Afterwards, they sent the housekeeper to express their gratitude. The implicit meaning of their words was that they didn't eat enough and wanted to ask when they could pick more."

"Have you told them how to eat it?"

"Don't worry, I've given you all the recipes. There are several representative dishes, such as spicy chicken, boiled fish, and beef brisket stewed with tomatoes, which are most popular among the elderly and children..."

“Isn’t beef hard to buy?”

"You don't know yet, do you? Su Zhe is also capable. He got a batch of beef cattle. With the imperial court's approval, he can slaughter them for meat. Although the quantity is not large, if you are willing to spend money, you can still buy them. He sends them to our house every few days. I asked people to give him money, but he refused to take it."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi immediately said sourly, "Why don't you know how to avoid suspicion? Aren't you afraid of gossip?"

Gu Huanxi rolled her eyes at him speechlessly, "He's so scared that he doesn't dare to come over to discuss business. Isn't that called avoiding suspicion? When sending gifts, he also used people close to his wife. Who can gossip about it?"

"Hey, it's just a joke. How can I not trust you two?"

"roll……"

The couple made love for a while, and Xu Huaiyi reminded them, "We can't just take advantage of others, remember to return the favor. If Su Zhe doesn't care, he is married now, and he has a wife, you know."

You just want to say that women are narrow-minded. Gu Huanxi snorted, "Don't worry, I guarantee that his wife won't find fault with me. Whenever they come back to give me gifts, I will give them a basket of fresh vegetables grown in our home. These are all not available in the market. They won't suffer any loss."

"That's good……"

The ways of the world are a science. If not handled properly, it will bring many hidden dangers and troubles.

Gu Huanxi was actually not good at dealing with these things, but with Xu Huaiyi's advice, nothing went wrong. As for Su Zhe, she soon found out how Su Zhe handled this kind of thing.

He also gave two shares of the roller skating rink to the Zhao family. Not only that, he also let Zhao Zhengting join his caravan. By winning over the next heir of the Zhao family, he formed the most stable alliance with the Zhao family. Even if his wife felt uncomfortable in the future, she would not be able to go back to her parents' home to complain. She was bound by interests, and her complaint would be fruitless.

I have to say that Su Zhe is very courageous. By spending money, he not only stabilized his family but also gained foreign aid, killing two birds with one stone.

It also allowed him to stand more firmly in the Su family. It was said that Su Ting, the acting head of the family, would consult him about anything. He finally got the right to speak and gradually gained the capital and strength to compete for the position of head of the family.

Half a month later, when the roller skating rink was unveiled in Beijing and attracted a frenzy of popularity, his reputation spread even more widely. After all, several new things that emerged in the past year were related to him.

Not only did it increase his reputation, but it also made him rich. Now some people privately call him the God of Wealth. Every business he handles is always prosperous. Who wouldn't be jealous?

With him blocking the way in front and taking away most of the limelight, the Gu family kept a low profile, which was something Gu Huanxi wanted very much. Even though he followed Su Zhe in donating some silver and warm clothes to the war in the south, it did not attract much attention.

Who asked Su Zhe to donate so much? Three hundred thousand taels of silver, plus food and medicinal materials. The total price is probably more than five hundred thousand. Everyone was shocked and even felt sorry for him.

Five hundred thousand taels, a fortune that could have been left to his descendants and lasted for several lifetimes, but he donated it all without blinking an eye.

He is worthy of being the richest man in Dayong!

But his action upset the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion and the Pingyuan Earl Mansion. Both families also made donations in order to clear the suspicion of bullying the families of soldiers and disrupting military morale. However, they promised to donate 200,000 taels. 200,000 sounds like a lot, but this kind of thing is afraid of comparison. Compared with 500,000, it immediately seems shabby.

Who wouldn't be depressed if they emptied half of their family's savings but didn't achieve the expected results?

In the study of Marquis Dingyuan's mansion, several sets of tea bowls were smashed, and people thought that Su Zhe was deliberately challenging them.

Master Meng's life was not easy. He was tortured by internal and external troubles. The mansion was not well-off to begin with, and after the donation, it became even more stretched. If the 200,000 yuan could restore some reputation for the family, it would be considered a profit. However, he did not expect that Su Zhe would interfere in this way, and the money would be wasted. How could he not feel sad?

What was even more upsetting were the troubles at home. Meng Chonglou had been released, but he was crazy and nothing could be asked out of him. If he stayed in prison he would have to eat and drink for free and be served by others. The Jingzhao Prefecture did not want to be a scapegoat, so they asked the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion to take him back. Lord Meng originally wanted to send him to the farm to be looked after, but Yao refused. Usually she was weak and indecisive, but at this moment she became aggressive, crying and making a fuss, and she just refused to send him away.

In the end, Meng Chonglou stayed in the mansion. There was no peace in the mansion anymore. Screams were often heard in the middle of the night. Within a few days, Master Meng and his wife suffered from nervous breakdown due to the noise and had to go to Master Meng for help.

Master Meng was attacked from both ends and was exhausted. Like Su Jian, he could not withstand the blows and fell ill.

When Gu Huanxi heard the news, he secretly said "it serves him right", it was all his own fault, and then he asked people to continue to keep an eye on the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion.

The person she was most wary of was Meng Yao, but recently Meng Yao had suddenly behaved herself, and no one knew if she was planning some big move or just waiting for the right opportunity.

Although Meng Yao did not cause any trouble, the imperial court did take some action. They began to publicize the need to make preparations for the winter. Each measure was described in great detail, such as repairing the roof in advance to prevent it from being crushed by heavy snow, pasting more layers of paper on the windows, sewing thicker door curtains and hanging them up to prevent air from leaking in, preparing more firewood and charcoal, and not lacking in clothes, food, and medicinal herbs for treating colds. In short, the more the better.

But these measures were just verbal suggestions. Rich families would make adequate preparations without being reminded and did not need to worry about any snowstorms. As for the poor families, no matter how detailed the court's instructions were, it would be useless without money. The more they listened, the more upset and anxious they became.

Did the imperial court just want to do this kind of facade? Of course not. After all, the treasury was empty again.

In addition to the war in the south, the Tatars in the northwest also began to behave unruly, and several small-scale battles had broken out. This seemed like a test, but the court had to be fully prepared for the battle, which required the collection of food and fodder.

The Ministry of Revenue was worried about this, but fortunately they were able to cope with the situation thanks to donations from Su Zhe and others. However, with the impending snowstorm, they were no longer able to provide material support.

I just pray that the prediction of the snowstorm does not come true.

However, in November, the sudden snow shattered all hopes.