No matter if you are a human or an immortal, you can still farm for me after traveling through time!

On the way back from the village, light snow began to fall again. The strong wind blew the snow and it hurt his face a little. Ji Qingyue pulled his hood tighter, leaving only his eyes exposed.

After entering the city, the two men led their horses and went straight to Tai'an Tower to discuss the delivery date with Manager Qin, and also to re-determine the types and quantities of fresh vegetables.

Even in such bad weather, the business of Dongcheng Restaurant was as good as usual. Many merchants who stayed here were staying in the restaurant lobby to listen to books and operas, those who knew each other gathered together to eat, drink and have fun, and in the midst of the hustle and bustle there were also people staying alone in the corner to drink tea and wine.

The young groom who led the horse helped to stop the horse. The two of them lifted the cloth curtain at the door to block the wind and sand. A burst of fragrant and warm air rushed to the door. The bell on the door jingled. The waiter who greeted guests hurried forward. When he saw that the visitor was Ji Qingyue, he smiled with his teeth showing, "Mr. Ji is finally here. Shopkeeper Qin has been looking forward to it every day!"

Because of the waiter's enthusiastic call, the guests in the lobby looked over.

Ji Langjun? Could it be the Ji Langjun who built the bridge in ten days some time ago?

Those who recognized Ji Qingyue immediately started whispering to the people around them. Now more and more people in the lobby knew that the young man who came in to look for Manager Qin was the popular Ji Qingyue from Shandan!

Li Erlang was keenly aware that among these curious, inquiring and eager gazes, there were also mocking, contemptuous and even angry ones. He looked around and found that those people also followed suit and turned their eyes. When their eyes met, Li Erlang noticed that they were muttering some abusive nonsense in a provocative manner.

Those people seemed to be Hu merchants? And the target of their hatred was not Yue Lang, but him?

The two followed the waiter and came to the study of Shopkeeper Qin. Shopkeeper Qin stood up and greeted them with surprise: "Ji Langjun, you are finally back. If you don't come back, there will be no fresh vegetables to eat in my restaurant!"

After the waiter left, there were only three people left in the study.

Shopkeeper Qin came over, as if he wanted to whisper something, and he lowered his voice: "As Mr. Ji said, I have never told anyone about your whereabouts during your absence for several months. I wonder if your trip went smoothly?" Have you developed more varieties of fresh vegetables?

"To be honest with you, Shopkeeper Qin, I gained a lot from this trip. I came to see Shopkeeper Qin this time to discuss and decide on the supply plan again."

"Oh?" Shopkeeper Qin asked the two to sit down with great interest and made tea himself. "What do you think, Mr. Ji?"

During the time that Ji Qingyue went to the south of the Yangtze River, he had been thinking about how to change the supply method. Now his reputation in Shandan is getting bigger and bigger, not only because of his unique ability to grow fresh vegetables, but also because of the halo of building a bridge in ten days. There are more people watching him from behind. If he still uses the original method to transport vegetables, he will definitely be discovered after a long time.

How can we supply more vegetables in an honest way?

"Initially, I signed a contract with Manager Qin on the pretext of purchasing ingredients for Tai'anlou's kitchen, and agreed on the types and quantities of fresh vegetables. Later, Manager Qin and I proposed to modify the content of the contract, so that Tai'anlou could dispose of the fresh vegetables at will." This contract turned Tai'anlou into a middleman, selling the fresh vegetables purchased from Ji Qingyue to wealthy families in the county at a higher price.

Ji Qingyue had no objection to Tai'an Building's practice.

Tai'anlou is powerful and knows more wealthy people, so he is naturally able to sell to them. Moreover, this amount of fresh vegetables is just a drop in the bucket for the entire market and is not worth mentioning. This kind of private transaction will not cause abnormal prices in the entire market. Therefore, Ji Qingyue agreed to this private transaction with Tai'anlou.

"Cabbage is easy to grow and has a large yield. It is the most commonly eaten and most approachable fresh vegetable for the people. I have told Shopkeeper Qin that growing fresh vegetables is my family's inherited skill and cannot be easily passed on to others. But now I can grow many fresh vegetables that are more valuable than cabbage. After much thought, I want to sell the cabbage growing method to Tai'an Tower."

After hearing this, Shopkeeper Qin smiled with surprise: "Is what Mr. Ji said true?"

Ji Qingyue raised his hand to tell Shopkeeper Qin not to be too happy yet: "I am not asking Tai'anlou to buy out, but to ensure that Tai'anlou is the first buyer. Also, when I say planting method, it's actually just seeds."

Shopkeeper Qin hesitated for a moment and asked, "What about other fresh vegetables?"

"As stated in the original contract, I will only provide Tai'an Building."

"Can you guarantee, Mr. Ji, that the cabbages you grow will be the same as before?"

Ji Qingyue held the teacup to warm his hands: "If it is carefully taken care of and properly planted, it will naturally be not much different from what I provided to Tai'an Tower before."

Shopkeeper Qin stroked his beard and calculated the profits.

When Ji Qingyue said that he wanted to publish the method of growing cabbage, Manager Qin knew that it was not realistic to buy it out. Although cabbage was not considered a common vegetable, the real common vegetables were wild vegetables in the mountains, but cabbage was a rare vegetable that was relatively easy to grow and had a high yield. If he insisted on buying out the cabbage seeds in Ji Qingyue's hands and not allowing Ji Qingyue to sell them to others, it seemed feasible in the short term.

but……

Shopkeeper Qin glanced at Ji Qingyue quietly, who was sipping tea quietly.

After the buyout, Tai'anlou will become the only dominant restaurant in Shandan. Other restaurants will then join forces to deal with Tai'anlou. After getting the seeds, Tai'anlou will no longer have any advantages. Wouldn't that be a loss?

Not to mention the consequences of doing so, just looking at Ji Qingyue's attitude, you can tell that he will definitely not agree to the buyout of Tai'an Building.

"Ahem..." Shopkeeper Qin thought it through and said with a smile, "I know that Mr. Ji's seeds must be good. Just look at what many tenants said during the autumn harvest this year. The seeds Mr. Ji gave me have produced an extraordinary yield!"

Ji Qingyue did not reveal too much about the experiment: "In this case, does Shopkeeper Qin agree that I can sell the cabbage seeds to Tai'an Building first, and then sell them to others?"

"Of course, of course. I just don't know how long it will take for the two to come together? Can we guarantee that Tai'an Building will be able to grow the first crop of cabbage?"

Ji Qingyue calculated the time: "The planting season for cabbage is in August and September, and it can be harvested in one or two months. If it is in the south, cabbage can be grown all year round. If Shopkeeper Qin wants to plant an extra crop, it is feasible to sow in March or April, so that it can be harvested in May or June."

Shopkeeper Qin nodded, and Ji Qingyue continued, "In this case, I will promise Shopkeeper Qin that I will not sell cabbage seeds to any merchants or vegetable farmers before June of next year, including my relatives and friends who ask me for a small amount of vegetable seeds."

"It's feasible. I think what Ji Langjun said is feasible!"

The two discussed more details in detail, and finally decided on a new price and other matters. They tore up and abolished the previous contract and signed a new one.

When Ji Qingyue was discussing with Manager Qin, Li Erlang didn't say a word the whole time. He was as still as a guard and sat next to Ji Qingyue. People wanted to ignore him but couldn't.

After the two of them formally signed the contract, Li Erlang spoke up for the question that had been in his mind since he came in: "Please tell me something, Manager Qin. What happened in Shandan recently? Why is Hu Shang so... angry with me?"

Shopkeeper Qin looked at Li Erlang in surprise and exclaimed, "Mr. Li, you still don't know? I thought you already knew it."

Ji Qingyue frowned, thinking back to the different expressions on the faces of the people in the lobby downstairs. He thought he had seen it wrong, but he didn't expect that they were targeting Li Erlang!

Li Erlang guessed, "Is it because of garlic?"

"It was because of the garlic." Shopkeeper Qin nodded. "You had been away for a while, and it happened to be the garlic harvest season. The merchants not only came to Fengzu Trading Company, but also sent people to prevent the garlic harvest. I don't know what happened, but the group of people sent to prevent the garlic harvest fought with the villagers. This matter soon alarmed the county government, and County Magistrate Hong immediately took people to suppress it. I heard that the fight was very fierce at that time."

Li Erlang's heart twisted instantly. Among the villagers that Manager Qin mentioned, there must be his family members!

"Does the shopkeeper know what the result is?"

"Later, Hu Shang and Fengzu Commercial Bank started a lawsuit. Hu Shang accused Fengzu Commercial Bank of stealing garlic seeds, and Fengzu Commercial Bank counter-sued Hu Shang for secretly lowering the price and engaging in malicious transactions! In short, the two sides have been arguing for a long time, and there is still no result."

It is difficult to explain this matter when it comes to Hu Shang. Judging from their character, they will definitely keep giving their opponents a hard time until they give up.

Li Erlang also knew the tyranny of the Hu merchants: "They did more than that."

Shopkeeper Qin looked at Li Erlang approvingly and nodded: "Now the Hu merchants have united the shops they have taken over to go on strike. What's worse is that they are putting pressure on Magistrate Hong, saying that if Magistrate Hong doesn't give an explanation, they will not open the market, and if he doesn't open the market, they will not pay business taxes. This matter has caused unrest in Shandan, and everyone is afraid that the group of Hu merchants will make another move." After saying that, he looked at Ji Qingyue calmly, but Ji Qingyue didn't show any emotion, and didn't seem to want to speak.

Shopkeeper Qin knew that although the garlic was registered under the name of Fengzu Trading Company and was said to be purchased from Li Erlang, he understood that Ji Qingyue was the mysterious man hiding behind everyone. Like cabbage, rice and wheat, the garlic was definitely cultivated by Ji Qingyue, and its quality was far superior to the garlic brought by the Hu merchants from the Western Regions thousands of miles away.

After saying goodbye to Shopkeeper Qin, Li Erlang stared at Hu Shang's fiery gaze and walked out calmly. After returning the horse, the two planned to end their journey today and go home.

It was still afternoon when they got home, and there was still some time before evening. Ji Qingyue and Li Erlang were tidying up the garden. After a while, the time was up, and Ji Qingyue uncontrollably returned to the painting, leaving Li Erlang alone to clean the garden.

In the evening, students were dismissed from school one after another. Li Yu and Li Silang, who returned home together, found that the lights in the house were on and it seemed that someone was cooking in the kitchen.

"Mother?" Li Silang thought it was Mother Li who came, so he ran straight to the kitchen door and looked out. It turned out to be his second brother whom he hadn't seen for a long time! !

"Second brother!! Second brother is back!! Where's Brother Ji! Is Brother Ji back?!" Li Silang rushed to his second brother. He hadn't seen him for half a year and he had grown a lot taller. He hugged his brother's waist and said to himself: "Brother Ji must be back too!"

Li Yu heard Li Silang's shout and ran to the kitchen door: "Brother Li, how are you?"

Li Silang clung to Li Erlang's waist like a rice cake and wouldn't let go. Li Erlang, who was originally happy to see his brother, suddenly changed his expression and slapped him down with a slap on the head: "You haven't even put down your book bag yet. Go and wash your hands before coming back."

"Oh..." Li Silang was not angry after being beaten, and went to find Ji Qingyue happily.

After greeting Ji Qingyue and learning that he was safe, the two children finally felt relieved. They washed their hands and immediately went to the kitchen to help.

The child chattered excitedly, his hands working and his mouth never stopping, as if he wanted to tell his brother everything that happened in the academy.

Li Erlang knew that his younger brother loved to talk, but he didn't expect that after not seeing him for such a long time, his younger brother had become even more talkative. It would not be difficult for him to become a storyteller in the future.

"Really? Yulang and I have never made the teacher angry in the academy, and we have done well in our studies. Yulang, don't you agree?"

Li Yu, who was washing vegetables, nodded: "The teachers all praised me and Silang for doing a good job in our studies."

Li Silang became more confident when someone proved his point.

"Silang, how are my father and mother?" Li Erlang was preparing the sauce while cooking mutton.

Li Silang thought for a moment and said, "Brother, you want to ask what happened when we were harvesting garlic, right?"

The child had grown up, and Li Erlang knew what he wanted to ask. He nodded and said, "I heard someone is here to cause trouble. Is there anything wrong with anyone else in the family?"

"They are all fine, but my eldest brother and cousins ​​who were standing in front were slightly injured. They were later taken back to the county government office by County Magistrate Hong and locked up in a cell. My third brother and I went to visit them after we found out. Fortunately, the jailers did not treat them harshly. Fortunately, County Magistrate Hong released them the next day after questioning them clearly." Li Silang told him everything he knew, and he had to ask Li Sanlang the rest.

Li Yu also told Li Erlang what he had heard: "After the garlic was collected, the merchants did not bother the subordinates anymore, but harassed Fengzu Trading Company every day. I heard that the collected garlic has not been sent out of the city yet."

"Okay, I understand." Li Erlang ended the topic and asked other questions: "Were the three Ma family members honest when we were away?"

"Little Ma is fine. He and Old Man Ma have never overstepped the boundaries or been lazy. But Old Lady Ma's eyesight has gotten worse. She can't see and has to stay indoors all day." Li Silang tilted his head and thought for a while: "Second brother, what happened to them?"

Li Erlang shook his head. Maybe he was just being too suspicious. "Go and clean the table. I'll take this big pot of mutton out. Yulang, take the bowl."

It has been a while since he last had mutton soup or mutton, and Li Erlang has been missing this dish for a long time.

After waiting for a while, Li Sanlang finally came back from the academy. He was also very surprised to see Li Erlang, but he did not show his emotions like his brother. Instead, Li Erlang took the initiative to hug his brother and patted his back, saying, "Sanlang, you have worked hard."

Li Sanlang's eyes were dark and he looked much thinner. It was obvious how much pressure he had put on himself since he knew the future fate of their family and the plans of Ji Qingyue and Li Erlang. In order to catch up with the two and save his family, he worked very hard every day, just to pass the imperial examination and go to Chang'an.

The pressure on his shoulders was heavier than a mountain and he could hardly breathe. Now there was another mountain. The government changed the imperial examination from one year to three years, which meant that if he didn't plant next year, he would have to wait three years. He could wait, but his family couldn't! !

The pressure did not become a spur but instead became a burden, and as a result, I was forced into this state.

Worry too much.

The two brothers looked at each other, and everything was said without words.

Li Erlang squeezed his brother's shoulder and told him not to worry: "No matter what happens, let's talk about it after dinner! Even if the sky falls, I will hold it up!"

Li Erlang brought mutton soup to Ji Qingyue, and then started eating with his brothers.

It's rare for the brothers to get together, so put aside their worries for a while. The world is big, but eating is the most important thing.

At the dinner table, Li Erlang talked about his experiences in the south of the Yangtze River and his deer hunting experiences, which whetted the appetites of the two children.

"What happened next? Second brother! What happened next?!"

Even Li Sanlang was attracted by the second brother's storytelling eloquence. His chopsticks stopped in mid-air and he just listened to the story!