North and South groceries

Ever since Wu Yushi and others made those incidents last time, there have been faint rumors among the people that the nobles dislike Luo Sanlang.

In this era, the mass foundation of the gentry clansmen is still very deep, faintly deeper than that of the royal family, especially in the hometowns of these gentry clansmen.

In this day and age, everyone knows that the surname of this country is Li, but in this Li Dynasty, many people still call themselves Wu people, Shu people, Qi people, Lu people.

The local people are often very supportive of their local nobles. After these nobles become officials, they enter the court as officials, and they often want to fight for the interests of their hometown, and they will never let the elders of their hometown suffer.

If one day the emperor had a conflict with which side of the gentry, in the hometown of that gentry, which side the common people would stand on, there was no need to guess about this kind of thing, generally they would definitely be on the side of their local nobles.

And who is behind the emperor? To put it bluntly, he owns the entire country. To put it bluntly, this entire country is not composed of those aristocratic families and their hometown elders.

At the beginning, when Wu Yushi and others made such a commotion, the emperor's attitude was not clear, and the elders of Hedong were impatient. At that time, many people stood up to speak for Luo Yong.

Therefore, although Luo Sanlang of Dongdong was not born in a noble family, he is now in the area of ​​​​Hedong Dao, and he is also supported by the people in his hometown just like those of the noble family.

From the emperor's point of view, he would be happy to watch Luo break the monopoly position of those aristocratic families in certain economic fields bit by bit, and deal a heavy blow to these big families economically.

But on the other hand, is he happy to see the rise of this new force in Hedong Road?

Moreover, it is not only the economic field that is affected by Luo Yong.

On this day, several gentry gentlemen in Chang'an met at a friend's house for a drink. During the dinner, someone took out a palm-sized book and said that it came from Lishi County. It only needs twelve coins, and now in the Hedong area, many ordinary people who are not very wealthy are willing to spend money to buy it to teach their children to read.

"It only costs twelve pennies." A gentleman shook his head and smiled wryly. If twelve pennies were left in the past, ordinary paper would not be able to buy a few sheets. Now that such a booklet can be bought, it is another The dyeing is also printed, and the workmanship is not rough.

However, as early as Na Luo Sanlang made Na Laoshizi papyrus, there were more and more folk papermakers, and things like today should be predictable.

"Then Wu Chi and the others really played a bad move." A gentleman took a drink from the wine cup and sighed again.

"It's a good thing they didn't do that. If they did, their Wu family might be 'famous forever'." Another person laughed.

"The Patriarch of the Wu family is too confused, because the younger generation of the family is so messed up." Another person said.

"The biggest income of their Wu family is the paper-making workshops. Luo Sanlang made straw paper and passed on the paper-making method to the world. It is no different from digging their ancestral graves." Some of the families that have been hit hard can better understand the mentality of the Wu family at this time.

"No matter what, you shouldn't make such a stupid move. Luo Sanlang has done this at a young age. There are many stories about him among the people, and the common people love him. To kill such a person is clearly to leave a bad name forever." A gentleman with a dignified face snorted coldly.

Back then, when Lao Zhuang was alive, there were not no people who could not tolerate them, but who would dare to kill a saint?Even if the common people are ignorant and easy to be fooled, there are still many people who are not easy to be fooled in this world, especially political opponents.

Some time ago, when Wu Yushi and others wanted to eradicate Luo Sanlang, the people in Hedong stood up to protect each other and fiddled around, but in the end the emperor took advantage of him.

This is still under the condition that they did not kill Luo Sanlang. If they killed Naluo Sanlang, and public grievances arose, if the emperor was ruthless at that time, he would take advantage of the situation and pull out one or two aristocratic families, so as to kill chickens and monkeys and establish power. It is not impossible .

"In your opinion, what should we do now?" A young gentleman asked, clasping his hands.

"Since Luo Sanlang has the ability to turn rivers and seas, we should follow the trend, why should we go against the trend?" The gentleman said with a smile.

Not long after, some lords in Chang'an City published some introductory books for their children, and distributed them to poor families in Chang'an City, so that they also had the opportunity to learn to read.

Judging from the current trend, in the near future, the students taking part in the imperial examinations will definitely not be the same as they are now, all the children of the gentry. Since this trend is irreversible, why don't they start to win people's hearts as soon as possible.

The behavior of these people soon attracted the rejection of some other gentry, thinking that their behavior was really self-deprecating and out of style.

The responsibility of their gentry is to assist the emperor in governing the country. They should be upright and dignified. Even if they die, they should live an upright life. How can they play such a clever trick and use such small favors to win people's hearts.

These words are sound and clear, but at the root of it, some people still don't want the children of the common people to enter the court, and they don't want them to have the same opportunities as the nobles.

All in all, within the gentry group, they often have completely different attitudes towards the same thing.

Chang'an City is still arguing endlessly, and Bai Ershu and others in Lishi County are naturally labeled as pro-Luo faction at this time, even their entire family and some families who are close Being labeled as such, he was faintly rejected by most of the gentry group.

This kind of exclusion is mainly manifested in marriage and the appointment and dismissal of officials. During this period, a daughter of the Bai family was divorced. Waiting for someone to become an official.

According to Luo Yong's point of view, the most important thing right now is to study hard for these little brats, what kind of officials are they going to be.

Those boys are no longer the same as they were when they first came to Xipo Village. Those who read and practice calligraphy every day, besides arithmetic, Second Uncle Bai still teaches them every day. He would take his two sons, Liulang and Qiniang, to listen in. The two young ones still couldn't understand, but Luo Yong felt that even if he didn't understand, it would be good to edify them.

As for Si Niang and Wu Lang and the others, the two of them are now completely rushing to make money and never look back. Si Niang is nestled in the shop over there all day long, and Wu Lang can't even go to school anymore.

The two of them had a pretty good idea. They said that they would open a bookstore in Chang'an City in the future, how many people would be invited to help engrave the engraving, and how many people would be invited to be responsible for photocopying. Luo Yong just smiled when he heard it.

When Zhao Chen came to Xipo Village on horseback, Luo Yong was harvesting millet on the slope with their disciples.

This year, when the millet was being filled with grout, the irrigation system in the village was completed, absorbing a lot of cool stream water, and the millet produced was quite full. Everyone was very happy while harvesting it.

"The grains of yours are growing well. This mu of land is probably several buckets more productive than in previous years." When a villager carrying a burden passed the sloping field of Luo's house, he looked into the field and smiled. said.

"It must be more than in previous years." One of Luo Yong's disciples also replied with a smile.

In the past, if the villagers planted millet on such a slope, the yield per mu would usually be more than one load, and rarely two loads. If the slope is barren, it is not particularly barren. The main reason is the lack of water. They are all planting fields of tens of acres or hundreds of acres. If it is necessary to rely on manpower to carry water to irrigate the fields, it will not be able to water them anyway.

Once the irrigation system is installed this year, the crops on the slope will obviously grow better than in previous years. They will not be irrigated until the time of grouting, and will wait until next year when the crops are pulled out from the ground. , just water them fully, and the output will increase by then.

In fact, as it is now, one mu of land can produce two or three loads, and everyone is already very happy when the weather is good.

After Luo Yongchuan came here, he also felt a little emotional. I remember that when I was just in elementary school, the textbook told him that the motherland has a vast land, rich resources and a long history. It is true that the country has a long history. up.

Like at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, there were only a few varieties of crops in this field, not to mention sweet potatoes and potatoes. There was no corn in the first place, and wheat came from other places. The varieties of rice are relatively backward at present. , the yield is not high, sorghum that can be widely planted on the plateau is still in Africa at this time, and peanuts are not available...

If you don't come to this era for a while, Luo Yong will not really understand that those long histories and splendid civilizations were not born in abundance, but were created bit by bit under difficult conditions .

Although compared with the 21st century, the early Tang Dynasty was still a barren and backward era, but at the same time, it was more advanced and civilized than many countries in the world.

Being able to live in an advanced and civilized land is already a great blessing. Without the accumulation of generations before, there would be no Tang Dynasty today.

People in the village happily told each other, because this year's millet harvest is bumper, and each mu of land can produce more than two or three tons, especially those slopes that were not favored in previous years, have achieved a good harvest this year.

"Your guest house in Liangzhou City has been built?" Luo Yong invited Zhao Chen to his courtyard, and the people who came with Zhao Chen first went to Xu's guest house to wash and rest.

"Soon." Zhao Chen said, "Mostly everything has been built, and now there are only some scattered matters."

When the two sat down to talk, Luo Yong inevitably had to ask about Erniang's recent situation, and he was relieved when he learned that they were all well in Liangzhou City.

From Xipo Village to Liangzhou City, it would take Wang Dang and the others two months to make a round trip for such a long distance, so it would take Luo Yong such a long time to get news about Luo Erniang and the others once in a while. On the contrary, I could also hear some from those merchants from the west, but they didn't know the details, most of them were just gossip in Liangzhou city.

Zhao Chen came here this time, naturally, for the matter of the canned pears, and Luo Yong had already prepared for this matter.

A few days ago, he asked someone to pick some Eucommia ulmoides leaves from the slope to extract Eucommia gum. Although there is not much, if it is only used as the inner liner in the can bottle cap, it is enough to make some that's it.

It's just that they don't have many pears in Shizhou. In the past two years, people in their village ate pears, and they were all transported from Pingyi by Wang Dang and others.

Now that Wang Dang and the others are on the road in Liangzhou, although there are hawkers coming from Xipo Village from time to time, they are not as good as Wang Dang's people. Now the season of pears is almost over, but many villagers in Xipo Village I have never eaten pears.

"It's not too late, I'm going to Pingyi County to buy pears." Zhao Chen said.

"There is no need to send pears to Xipo Village. I think this canning workshop will be located in Lishi County for the time being." Fresh fruits such as pears are sent from Lishi County to Xipo Village, which takes more than half a day. Not to mention time, the proportion of bad fruit and rotten fruit will increase for no reason.

As for the workshop of canning pears, Luo Yong has also thought about it. It is in the car rental company outside the city. It is quite large and convenient to get in and out of. , How much more business can be added to them, and there is no need to pay rent or anything.

After the matter was settled, Zhao Chen went to Xu's Guest House to have a meal, and then rode to Lishi County with his few followers.

When they arrived in Lishi County, it was already dark, they found a guest house and went to sleep, got up early the next morning and started on their way, when they arrived in Pingyi County, it was getting late.

That night, many merchants in Pingyi County heard the news that the Zhao family from Shuozhou came to their county to collect pears, four for a penny, as much as they wanted, and they had to find someone to carry them to Lishi County. , the porter Qian Zhao's family pays separately.

You must know that fruit is a perishable thing. If the pears here are taken to Lishi County, three or four pears are sold for a penny, which is not a good price.

But in Pingyi County, it’s different. Here, when the pears are ripe, you can buy at least five or six pears for a penny. There are also two, that is, the pears here are generally not big, and some are relatively sour. If it is a good pear that is sweet and refreshing, then the price is different. There are often some rich merchants in the city They offered a relatively high price to buy.

On this big night, many merchants and hawkers in the city became active. Although the Zhao family said how much they wanted, who knew how much they could ask for? Go out of the city and go to the countryside to contact the source of goods.

This Pingyi County is not a big city, although the city gate is closed at night, but the city wall is not high, it is still dilapidated, and there are no official patrols, so you can go out after looking through it.But this kind of thing can only be done and cannot be said. To be more serious, it is against the law to climb the city wall.

The main reason is that the current world is good and there is no war. If the world is not peaceful and the situation is tense, no one would dare to do this. If one is hacked as a spy, it will be for nothing.

It was autumn at this time, and there was dew again at night, and the night wind brought a little chill. The starlight in the sky was good, and it was quite bright everywhere, but the shadows among the shadows of the trees were really scary. Pedestrians I am also afraid of encountering ghosts and monsters.

"Go faster, faster, why are you walking slower and slower?" On a dirt road in the west of Pingyi County, a peddler urged.

"Aye, I'm afraid." It was a boy who spoke. From the sound of his voice, he was about fifteen years old.

"Don't be afraid, what's more, you will be at your grandma's house in a few steps." The older man said.

"We should listen to A Niang and call the two neighbors to come together." The child said tremblingly, he didn't know whether it was cold or frightened, his voice was trembling.

"Ask people to come here, and you can't give them some benefits? In the middle of the night, I owe a favor for nothing, and when they see that we have made money selling pears, they don't know what to think." The man said .

"What if you meet a wolf?" The young man said so, but he was still afraid of ghosts in his heart, but he didn't dare to speak out in such a place.

"The two of us are young and strong, and those wolves dare not come up." The father sped up his steps faintly, and at the same time stretched out his hand to pull his son: "Hurry up, it's cold today, and we are outside. I’m afraid I’m going to catch a cold after blowing the wind for a long time.”

"Aye, do you think the Zhao family is really willing to accept any kind of pear? Then don't pick and choose." His son became a little worried again. Their family didn't have much money. If they bought all the pears, If they can't earn it back, how will their family survive this winter?

"The Zhao family in Shuozhou is not that unfaithful family. When I was a porter outside, I heard people say that it is a family that even barbarians on the grassland are willing to make friends with. , has always been the most trustworthy..."

The father and son were talking, the son who was still a little scared and trembling unconsciously forgot to be nervous, followed his father's pace, and walked quickly on the dark and steep dirt road. After a while, he arrived at the place where his grandmother's house was. in the village.

At this time, the people in the village were already sound asleep. After the two entered the village, it was dark and quiet everywhere, only a few dogs barking were heard vaguely.

The father and son pushed open the courtyard door of a family, walked into the courtyard, stopped in front of a low adobe house, and reached out to pat the rough and dilapidated wooden door.

"Who is it?" A low and wary man's voice came from inside the room.

"It's me, Uncle." The boy said hastily.

"Why are you here so late, what happened at home?" The people in the room quickly came out to open the door.

"Nothing happened." The peddler said: "Tonight, Zhao Dalang from the Zhao family in Shuozhou came to the city with a few followers. He said he wanted to collect pears, four for a penny. The request is not high, as long as there is a woman's fist Utensils are fine, if they are not as big as that, they are willing to accept them, but the price is lower."

"Did they say how much they want to buy?" Another woman's voice came from the room at this moment.

"As much as you want." The young man replied.

"But really?"

"It shouldn't be bad, then the Zhao family is a family of merchants, not a small family, so they should not break their trust."

"There aren't many pears left at home."

"Pick them all up tomorrow morning."

"I'll pick them. You go back to your mother's house and tell your mother about this, and tell them to quickly pick pears and sell them in the city."

"You can't just think about selling your own pears. The pear picking is left to the elderly and children. We will go out tomorrow and collect some more."

"How much are you going to charge?"

"I brought out all the money at home."

"..."

"Brother and sister-in-law, don't hesitate. If you have a place to harvest pears, you should also harvest some more, and carry them to the city with me to sell."

"Then why did the Zhao family collect so many pears?"

"I don't know, Zhao Dalang didn't mention it."

"……what do you say."

"Since Zhao Dalang from the Zhao family came in person, it should be close."

"Since that's the case, let's collect some."

"Your village is close to the city. When the pears are harvested, they will be placed by your side first."

"I wonder how long the Zhao family will stay in the city?"

"It is said that we will receive this year's pears until they are out of season."

"In this way, this matter will be very promising."

"Exactly!"

……

In just one night, merchants and peddlers collected a lot of pears from outside the city to sell in the city.

Sure enough, the Zhao family did what they promised before, as long as there are pears the size of a woman's fist, they are willing to accept them. It is very refreshing to give four pears a penny. If they meet good pears, they will be more willing give some.

There were also villagers who picked some pears the size of a child's fist. They were just trying their luck, but they were willing to accept them.

The villager was so excited that he put the dozen or so Wen money he got from selling pears into his arms, picked up two empty baskets, and ran back to his village.

Their pears are all wild. In the past, they were used to satisfy the children in the village. If they were picked and sold outside, a load of pears could not be sold for two or three pennies. Villagers who couldn't afford pears exchanged some beans for a few handfuls of corn.

Now this load of pears can be sold for more than ten yuan. This is nothing but pie in the sky.It's a pity that there are not many wild pears near their village. If they pick all of them at this time, I don't know if there will be four or five loads of pears, which will be a lot of money. It's almost a huge sum of money.

On Zhao Chen's side, after harvesting the pears, they hired local porters to pick the pears and go all the way to Lishi County.

The Zhao family collects pears and hires porters, so they don't know how much money they spend every day. There are rumors in the city that Zhao Dalang exchanged silver cakes for copper coins with rich merchants in Pingyi County in the past two days. A piece of silver cake can be exchanged for some copper coins, but I don't know how many silver cakes they brought and how many pears they can harvest.

In order to sell pears to them before their money was spent, the merchants and vendors in Pingyi County tried their best to sell a large number of pears to the Zhao family every day. The porter carried the pears to Lishi County.

After seven or eight days like this, the money on Zhao Dalang's body seemed to be in an endless stream, and it was endless to use.

How would they know how much money a well-established businessman can accumulate in his family, and how could it be that this small Pingyi County can make them spend all their money with such a little pear.