[Infrastructure] After being mistaken for a god

Abu, a young jewelry middleman, is sitting awkwardly in a tavern in Babylon, waiting for a chance to meet.

In fact, Abu never dreamed that Miss Ishta would hand over the new products produced by her workshop to him and let him take them to Babylon to find buyers.

He is a middleman who has just entered the industry, but many people have said about him before he entered the industry, saying that he is soft-faced and soft-hearted, and he is too honest, so it is difficult to make a difference in the middleman industry.

Not to mention the highly competitive jewelry industry.

But Miss Ishta met him in person, encouraged him, and promised that if he could help the workshop find a buyer in Babylon, she would hand over the business of the workshop to him—the "exclusive agent".

Yes, that's what Miss Ishtar said, Sole Agent.She also said she believed in his abilities.

Such a prospect greatly inspired Abu, and the young man was so excited that he did not sleep well for several days, and came to Babylon with the box containing the samples.

Here he lived in the humblest small hotel, ate the cheapest meals, and spent all his money on inquiring about information and making connections, trying to visit those important jewelers in Babylon.

But the problem is that his qualifications are too shallow.You can't see it in other big jewelers.

In addition, the task that Miss Ishta gave him was difficult.She has no stock in hand, only samples, but requires Babylonian merchants to place an order and pay a deposit first, and then she will produce the products and send them to Babylon.

The result of this is:

The big jeweler Abu couldn't see it, and the small jeweler didn't have enough courage, so he didn't dare to take such a business.

Abu spent ten days in the city of Babylon without accomplishing anything.

At this point, Abu couldn't help doubting himself—he began to wonder whether he had "potential" as Miss Ishta said.

Now he is waiting in the tavern, constantly cheering himself up: Persevere, persevere...don't disappoint Miss Ishta's high expectations.

After all, they rejected all those reputable middlemen and finally chose him.

At this time, the business partner who had made an appointment in advance walked into the tavern.

Abramovich immediately cheered up to meet a new test.

He took out the small silver nuggets left in his pocket, handed them to the shopkeeper, and ordered drinks for him.The young man's frank and sincere attitude obviously left a good impression on the other party.

But when it came to business, the other party took out the bead curtain samples brought by Abu to have a look, shook his head and said, "Sorry...we jewelers generally don't do this."

"This kind of bead curtain is generally regarded as a daily necessities. You may be able to find a merchant of daily necessities—a jeweler. When they see this, they will exclaim that the quality is indeed good, but they will give up the business because the cost is too high and they can only be supplied to the royal family."

"But it's really cheap." Abu quickly defended.

"If it's really cheap, buyers will worry that it's not in good condition."

"Jewelry business is like this, brother, I hope you can understand."

When the other party left, he sincerely apologized to the disappointed Abu: "I'm sorry, little brother, but you still need to spend money to buy wine for me."

Abu, who failed again, sat on the seat dumbfounded, but had no choice but to watch the other party leave.

He didn't even have time to show the other party the crystal clear glass goblet.

"Am I really not suitable for this job?" Abu asked himself in a low voice, "It's not just that I have low qualifications or bad luck."

"Am I...really, not suitable?"

The young man had deep doubts about himself. At this moment, tears were already rolling in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a middle-aged man who was originally sitting in a corner of the tavern suddenly got up, came to Abu, and asked the young man:

"Can I sit across from you for a while?"

Abu quickly regained his energy, put a smile on his face, and said politely: "Of course!"

Despite his self-doubt, the young man was determined not to treat anyone who came up to him and wanted to speak to him.

He called the bartender again and asked him to refill a glass of beer.

After the middle-aged man took a sip of the beer that Abu bought for him, he gave Abu a name.

Abu's eyes widened immediately - the name sounded like thunder to him, but it was unattainable.

"You may have heard my name - I am the president of the Babylon Jewelry Guild, and I am also in charge of purchasing jewelry and utensils for the royal family," the middle-aged man saw the young man's expression and said with a smile, "And I, I Interested in what you bring."

Abu was so happy that he was about to cry, so he quickly opened the box containing the bead curtains, showed the samples in the box, and explained the advantages and disadvantages of the bead curtains in detail.He also specifically mentioned the cost-this thing is cheap to make, which can almost offset all other shortcomings.

The head of the jewelry guild listened carefully, recognizing how sincere the young man was from his face.

In the end, the head of the jewelry guild nodded and said to Abu: "The things you brought are very interesting. But glass is a new material after all. I really want to know what else can be made besides these beads and curtains." .”

"Yes, yes-"

Abu's voice changed with excitement.

During this period, he generally started with bead curtains, which aroused people's interest.But when asked what else glass can do, the president of the jewelry guild is No.1.

He hurriedly went to take the box containing the glass goblet, and heard the president say in his ear: "Your business partner is willing to hire a young man like you. I have to say, it is still very courageous."

Abu opened the box, but just froze on the spot——

In the box in front of him, the glass goblet was shattered into several pieces at some point, and what was contained in the box was only crystal and transparent pieces.

The president of the jewelry guild was originally very interested in glass, but when he saw this, he also showed distress on his face, and whispered: "So, it's such an unfortunate coincidence."

"Let's wait until next time. Next time we have a chance, let's talk about glass cooperation." The president got up, and it seemed that he was really ready to leave.

Abu wanted to cry but had no tears: He once tried to ask the president of the jewelry guild, but there was no way to ask.

Now he finally had a chance to meet him, but he messed it up by himself.

Alas, why didn't he be more careful, why didn't he check the contents of this box carefully on the way here.

now, now...

Unexpectedly, a voice suddenly sounded behind Abu: "Don't wait for the next time. Master, please stay."

Abu recognized this voice, and knew that it was a housekeeper who was valued by Miss Ishta's side, and his name seemed to be "Boan".

When he turned around, it really was Bo An.

Boan held a huge box in his hand, handed it to Abu, and said, "This is what Miss Ishta ordered me to hand over to you. It is the latest glass sample made by the workshop."

"She asked me to greet you, saying that during the days you left, the craftsmanship of the workshop has improved rapidly, and the samples produced are several times better than before."

"I hope I can help you." Boan greeted Abu deeply.

Abu took it, opened the box, and almost exclaimed——

The stemware in the box is so pretty.

There were a total of six glasses in that box, each of which was exactly the same size and exactly the same.

The only difference is that the surfaces of the two glasses in the middle are cut, and a simple rhombus pattern is ground on the hard and smooth glass surface.

Although the pattern is simple, it adds a magical sense of rhythm when it is placed between the other four plain glasses without patterns.

These six glasses lie quietly on the inner cushion made of wool, through the incomparably pure glass, the color and texture of the wool inner cushion can be seen clearly.

After Abu sighed with emotion, he looked up and saw the president on the opposite side, and he was completely dumbfounded.

He suddenly remembered the scene he had seen in Miss Ishtar's workshop, and immediately called the bartender, took out the last small silver nugget in his pocket, and asked the bartender to fetch a jar of good wine.

The bartender handed the wine jar to Bo'an, and Bo'an carefully took out the two glasses from the box, and filled the glasses with wine syrup.

Rose-colored wine was poured into a glass.Although the light in the tavern was dim, the president of the jewelry guild sitting opposite Abu was stunned by this spectacle.

Abu's confidence increased greatly at this moment. He saw that the president didn't know how to use this novel goblet at all. Shaking and shaking, as if admiring the wine in the glass.

Then he brought the cup to his mouth, took a sip, and then made an intoxicated expression.

The president saw it, and followed suit, admiring the color of the rose red wine in the solid-color glass together, and then sipping the wine, it seemed that the difference was really felt.

"This... this is not just jewelry, it's simply a treasure!"

The president picked up the cup, raised his neck, poured the wine inside into his mouth, and drank it all in one gulp.Immediately afterwards, he raised his eyes to look at Abu. At this moment, Abu's brain flashed, he quickly drank all the wine in it, carefully wiped the glass with the rough cloth on the table, and handed it back to the president.

The president quickly put the two cups back into the box, as if holding a "treasure", got up and left.

Abu hurriedly greeted: "President, you..."

The president of the jewelry guild didn't know whether it was because of drinking or excitement, his face was flushed, and he asked loudly: "Young man, where do you live, I will come to talk to you about the agency in person tomorrow."

He looked at Abu's embarrassment, and then he remembered something, quickly took out a large handful of silver coins from his pocket, put them on the table, and then turned and went out.

Abu held these silver coins in his hand and weighed them. He felt that they were worth at least twenty shekels—you could buy a Valdu.

In a small workshop near Uruk, artisans sweat profusely in the workshop.

But during the break, everyone will inevitably think about the middleman before, and some people will ask uncertainly: "Abu... that guy, is he okay?"

"I think he's very clever. He works harder than those middlemen who are full of brains. He can immediately repeat what we said, and every word is good."

"But... don't you think he's a little too honest to be a middleman?"

"Too……"

"Speaking of which, it has been many days since he went to Babylon, and there is no news at all until now."

"Didn't Boan rush to send the new products we made?"

"With those new products, if he still can't sell them properly, it means that this young man is really not good at being a middleman."

Just as he was saying this, he suddenly saw a young man in a robe rushing in from the outside, and shouted loudly as soon as he entered the workshop:

"Miss Ishtar!"

"Where is Miss Ishtar?"

"Where did this young man come from, treating our jewelry workshop as the inner courtyard where the women's family lives?"

"Uncle, brother, it's me, I'm Abu!"

This young man is none other than the middleman Abu who set off to lobby in Babylon earlier.

Boan, the butler of Ishtar's family, followed the young man with a smile and came in together.

Everyone immediately put down their work and gathered around to ask Abu.

This young man's eyes were full of brilliance, and the joy he was full of couldn't be concealed from others, yet he deliberately kept it secret: "Guess!"

Artisans: Cut—

"How about it, can you get an 'order' as the lady said?"

Miss Ishtar had told the craftsmen that they might be able to get "orders", what the customers wanted, and what they would do next.

The craftsmen didn't believe that there was such a good thing in the world.

But Abu nodded repeatedly: "I got it, I got it, and I signed a contract." He took out a clay tablet that had been fired into a clay tablet from his arms.

Really become? ——The craftsmen are all excited.

"Then, did you get the 'deposit'?"

A Bu didn't answer this time, but turned to look at Bo An.Bo An nodded gently, indicating that he had already received the deposit.

This kind of "deposit", according to Ms. Ishta, is the buyer's advance payment to show sincerity, and it can also support the workshop and pay the cost of purchasing raw materials.

"Wow!"

This result overturned the craftsmen's views on "doing business": Is there really such a thing that you can receive money before the goods are even made?

But the news that Abu brought back was more than that: "Uncle, big brothers... Do you know where the glass cups and glass bead curtains produced by the workshop will be supplied to?"

The craftsmen were stunned: how can you guess this?

There are also people who deliberately exaggerate their status: "This...boy, you also think of us as an ordinary workshop. Back then, the amulets we produced were supplied to..."

"The royal family! The royal family of Babylon!"

Abu suddenly knelt on the ground and opened his arms to the craftsmen.

And Bo An beside him continued to nod his head to show his truth.

The craftsmen couldn't believe their ears: the amulets they produced last time were only sold by chance because the king's army passed by occasionally; but now, their production will soon be supplied to the royal family of Babylon.

Those radiant bead curtains will be hung in the magnificent palace, and the crystal clear glass will have the opportunity to appear on the table of the king's banquet.

What kind of honor and what kind of success is this for an artist? !

I don't know who shouted, rushed towards Abu, and gave the young middleman a strong hug.

Immediately afterwards, everyone rushed up, and a group of people hugged each other layer upon layer.

The oldest and most experienced craftsman murmured, "Fortunately, he didn't leave..."

——He’s gone, he doesn’t know where to drink the northwest wind now.

Other craftsmen were crying and laughing, and someone shouted: "Abu, we know you can do it, we knew it a long time ago..."

They had already forgotten all the worries about this young man.

Only then did Abu suddenly think: "Where is Miss? Where is Miss Ishtar?"

"I'm going to meet the lady and report the good news to her personally."

As the butler, Bo An was a little curious because he didn't see Miss Ishtar in the workshop.He knew that this young lady has been full of energy since she recovered from her illness, and she has never been idle. It is impossible to stay in the boudoir honestly at this time.

"Miss Ishtar is going to the fields now."

A craftsman answered casually.

When Bo An heard it, he almost fainted—God, god, how did he perform his duties as a housekeeper!How could the incomparably delicate Miss Avelu go to the field in person?

In fact, Yi Nan did go to the fields.

"Miss, please go slowly!"

Carrying two water jars and a big burden on his back, Apu carefully jumped from one field ridge to another.

The young maid really couldn't figure out why her lady could walk in the fields like they, Valdu and Amtu.

What's worse, Miss Ishtar was still running fast in the fields, and she couldn't catch up no matter what.

Yi Nan, who was running ahead of Apu, also carried two jugs full of clean water in his hands.When she handed the jug to the serfs working in the fields, the serfs were almost crying——

Even when the master and wife were alive, they had always been very lenient to the serfs, but as the "honorable Avelu", the master and wife never went to the fields in person.

Miss Ishtar sat with them under the date palm, drinking water, eating dry bread, and talking about the harvest in the fields.

"The Euphrates River hasn't been flooded for many years, so the land is relatively poor. When the master was alive, he said that there are only so many people in total. Since the land is barren and the harvest of barley and wheat is not good, then we should simply rotate crops. Only half of them are planted every year. ground."

Yi Nan looked at the group of serfs with a smile, looking amiable.

In fact, she has been complaining in her heart: this "fallow" method cannot improve the fertility of the land.Only half of the land is planted every year... No wonder the family has such a large farm, and the annual harvest can't support all the people, so they have to buy it from outside.

The alluvial plain along the Euphrates River was originally extremely fertile land-the Euphrates River can bring down nutrient-rich soil and impurities from the upper reaches and deposit it in this area.

However, the serfs in front of him also mentioned that the Euphrates River has not flooded in recent years.However, due to the annual cultivation of the land, the fertility decline, salinization, and land compaction... are all reasons for the low harvest of crops.

Miss Ishta's father suggested that only half of the land should be planted each year, which is equivalent to letting the other half of the land fall fallow.Fallowing is a passive method that allows the land to adjust itself - it is more suitable when there are pests and diseases in the soil, so that the pests cannot find a host and disappear from the soil.

But the estate of Ishtar's family in front of him is obviously not the problem.

So she asked: "Have you ever thought that those fallow lands can actually be planted with other crops?"

The serfs looked at each other, and they didn't quite understand what the lady meant: "Plant other crops? This field... has been used to grow wheat for generations?"

It was difficult for Yinan to explain to these serfs who had no knowledge of chemistry that different crops had different requirements for different nutrients in the soil.Rotating different crops on the same land is actually a good way to improve the soil.

She thought about it, and then said in a coquettish tone: "But... I want to eat peas. It's delicious when you boil it in boiling water, every day."

Apu, who was sitting behind her, began to smack his lips decisively, as if he had already tasted the taste of fresh peas.

"I still want to eat very tender and tender soybeans. I pick the pods while they are still green and cook them with the pods."

The tender soybeans she mentioned are actually edamame, salted edamame, which are good for snacks and drinks.

Yi Nan continued to describe, so that the serfs on the opposite side couldn't help swallowing their saliva.As for the other older serfs, they all showed loving smiles when they heard that their young lady wanted to eat these.

One of them said: "It's almost summer, and while the weather is good, those lands are idle, and we are rushing to plant a field of beans."

Yinan was overjoyed: leguminous rhizobia have the effect of nitrogen fixation, sowing legumes on the land where wheat has been planted can supplement the nitrogen fertilizer that is lacking in the soil.

"When I was still sick a while ago, I dreamed of my father who had passed away. My father told me that if I could add some beef, mutton and goat milk to my diet, my body would recover slowly." Yinan continued Try to arouse the love and sympathy of the serfs for her.

"But raising cattle and sheep requires alfalfa..." She looked at the serfs in front of her.

Alfalfa is also a very good green manure crop. During the growth period, the leaves and stems that grow out of the ground can be cut off and buried in the ground to add nutrients to the barren land.The grown alfalfa can also be used to feed livestock, and the dried grass leaves can be preserved for a long time as "dry food" for cattle and sheep.

The serfs all nodded: "Plant, we plant alfalfa!"

Yi Nan continued to snap his fingers and said, "Then I still want broad beans and turnips..."

The serfs on the opposite side kept nodding: "Plant, all plant!"

Yi Nan laughed immediately, she felt that these serfs were too simple and cute.

"Then we have made a deal. We will plant beans, alfalfa and vegetables on the fallow land. Next year, we will exchange it with the few pieces of land planted with wheat now."

Yi Nan is a typical concept of stealing: she wants serfs to bid farewell to the inefficient "fallow" planting method, and start to use crop rotation, or even intercropping, to use the characteristics of different crops to improve land fertility and increase production.

But she didn't say that this was a crop rotation, but that it was still "fallow", and she just planted some "snacks" she wanted to eat and fodder for livestock on the fallow land.

And these lands will still grow wheat for generations to come.

The serfs all thought it made sense, and nodded in agreement.A Pu, the maid behind Yi Nan, rubbed her hands excitedly, thinking, if she follows the lady, she will definitely have something good to eat.

Yi Nan thought: wait until next year, next year you will know.