Xiao Qiao enters the farm gate

For the distinguished guests who came suddenly, Qiao Mo said very little, even if he dragged on the Qi family's relationship as a basis, he was always reserved and unfamiliar.King Kang didn't know if he noticed it, or he didn't care. He chatted with him in a great mood, from all kinds of interesting things in the capital to the landscapes he visited. Even if Qiao Mo didn't want to get close to him, he couldn't help but gradually listened Fascinated.

When the conversation between each other stopped, it was already dark outside.

Situ Xuan glanced out, and the guard standing behind him said, "I'm reporting to the King, Xu time has passed."

Situ Xuan nodded, and then apologized to Qiao Mo: "It's all my fault. Before you know it, it's this hour, which delays your meal. The food must be cold, and it will lose its taste even if it is heated. Why don't you go to Juxian Tower Go, Uncle Shi treats you to dinner."

Qiao Mo hurriedly said: "No need, thank you for your kindness. It's just that it's getting late, let's change another day. The county king is an elder, and he came from a long way. If he is free some other day, I don't think the food is simple. Take the wind."

"Okay, then I will ask Ah Mo for a meal some other day." Situ Xuan seemed very happy to hear what he said, so he didn't pursue his refusal, didn't stay any longer, got up and left.

Qiao Mo frowned uncomfortably when he heard the changed address in the other party's mouth.It is that the Qi family is a family friend with him, he is an elder and a junior with him, there is a difference in status after all, not to mention that he is a younger brother, but the other party calls "Amo", it is too intimate and abnormal, it is totally unnatural.

What's more, for Situxuan, I have a strange feeling in my heart since we met.He could feel that the other party treated him with no malice, but another feeling that was hard to describe lingered all the time, unpredictable and difficult to distinguish, and even made him afraid after feeling it for a long time.This is the fundamental reason why he treats the county king at a respectful distance.

After seeing off this honored guest, Qiao Mo didn't want to eat, so he asked He Yun to tell everything about King Kang.

What He Yun said were all obvious things, if you want to know more and more details, you can only ask Qi Yun.

Qiao Mo was afraid that asking rashly would make Qi Yun nervous. Now Qi Yun must have devoted most of his energy to Beidi, and there is Lin Zheng in Beidi, so Qiao Mo didn't want them to be distracted and worry about him.What's more, no matter how noble the King of Kangjun is, he has no malice towards him right now, with the face of the Qi family in the middle, and it is the territory of Fengcheng, so there is no need to worry too much.

Because of King Kang's relationship, the plan to stay in the shop for a few days was changed. After only two days, he left the city and returned to Shanglin Village.

After returning home, he thought of the piles of corn piled under the temporary shed in the west courtyard. Seeing that the corn was almost dry, he asked Liu Shi to sell them.The sweet potatoes harvested earlier were not sold, half of them were stored in the cellar, and the other half were piled up next to the fodder in the cowshed. Because these things could not be sold at a high price, and the family did not lack the money, they simply kept them to feed livestock or exchange for sweet potato flour.A hundred or so catties of sesame and soybeans were reserved for oil extraction, and the rest were sold at a good price.As for the two acres of rice in the family, they are all stored in the warehouse after husking. Now that the number of people in the family has increased, they eat more rice.

Previously, peppers and white radishes were planted in the sand, but Qiao Mo did not take care of them as carefully as watermelons. Apart from fertilizing the base fertilizer, he only fertilized it once, but it still grew well.

Qiao Mo didn't go to the market with his things, but went directly to a pickle shop. After talking about several shops, someone finally asked for it. Although the price was not high, it was fair.There is also a sufficient amount left at home. A dozen or so chili skewers are hung under the eaves to dry. The remaining part is made into pickled peppers and the rest is made into hot sauce.As for the white radish, I also pickled a few jars, and most of them were piled up in the cellar to make winter vegetables.Because the family made pickles, he bought many large and small jars at once, so Qiao Mo simply bought some duck eggs, goose eggs and eggs in the village, and pickled two jars.

The chickens at home have been raised for several months, and they only started laying eggs a few days ago. The number is not large, and they are usually picked up to eat or make cakes, and there is nothing left.

The puppy I brought in before is eating well on weekdays and growing very fast. It will be almost an adult in the spring of next year. It is no problem to take care of the hospital.Qiao Mo placed its nest by the wall of the west courtyard, mainly because there were horses, chickens, and bamboo woven warehouses there. During the day, there would be Li Xue and the others pouring it out, but at night it had to be guarded.As for the Liu family and He Yun and He Yu, since Qi Yun left, it was not always appropriate for He Yun and He Yu to live in the courtyard with Qiao Modan.It wasn't Qiao Mo's problem, but in order to prevent annoying rumors from spreading in the village, Liu Shi and Zhang Xia were moved to one room in the west wing, and He Yun and He Yu lived in the other adjacent room.

There was no need to go to the shop, and there was no work in the field. Apart from doing the shop's goods in the afternoon, Qiao Mo was free in other time.

I looked at the accounts for September in the shop before. Although the business is not booming every day, it is very stable. After January, I have earned nearly 200 taels of silver.Of course, this is only gross profit, but the net profit is also quite a lot after excluding the cost.Qiao Mo took a special look at it. The candies still account for the bulk of the sales. Although the cakes accounted for a small portion, they sold a lot.In addition, he also has monthly orders from teahouses. Peanut candies dipped in sugar cost 20 taels of silver per month. In September, he added candies and small cakes, which cost another 30 taels, making the total 50 taels.

Looking at it this way, it would be better to concentrate on doing business, the fields...

After thinking about it, Qiao Mo decided to buy some more land. Except for the few acres of sandy land, he rented out the rest to others for planting. He only collected the rent himself, saving worry and trouble.This time I bought a lot of land, so I stopped looking for Lizheng, and went directly to shopkeeper Xiao of the teahouse.The person introduced by the other party when I bought a shop last time was good. This time I bought a field, there should be someone who specializes in this line of work.I have a lot of money, and I don't have any big expenses except for business. If I have good land, I will buy more.

Liu Shi was responsible for running errands and sending messages. After finishing this task, Qiao Mo was free again.

It took two days to make the toffee, but at the beginning, I couldn't master the taste well, it was always a bit strange, and it took several pots to finally succeed.Anyway, I was free, so I just worked on it for three days and stocked up hundreds of catties of toffee, which is now renamed soft candy.

On the tenth day of the lunar new year, a guest came to the house, and it was a distinguished guest who deliberately avoided it.

"Why is the county king here?" Qiao Mo looked at the people standing outside the gate, really surprised.

Originally, the sun was shining brightly today and he was in a good mood. He was planning to go to the city and send the written letter to the capital by the way.Unexpectedly, before going out, someone came to the door.

When Qiao Mo was in a daze, Zhang Xia and others had already bowed to the people outside the door. Seeing this, Qiao Mo couldn't help but consider whether to follow the gourd.That's why he didn't want to see this person, because he was a noble person, and he always wanted to be courteous, and he was worried that the other party would suddenly blame him if he didn't do so.

"Forget it, you don't have to be so particular about going out." Situ Xuan waved his hands quickly, and said deliberately: "I came here to make no noise, and the county magistrates who don't shout will know about it, so there is no leisure."

Zhang Xia and others repeatedly said yes, but Qiao Mo could only welcome them in.

After walking a few steps, I suddenly saw that the attendants who followed behind were holding things, those exquisite silk and satin gift boxes of various colors were nothing more than that, the key was that there were still people carrying flowers and plants into the courtyard.Qiao Mo scanned casually. There were chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, narcissus, orchids, and several pots that he didn't recognize. These potted plants were very particular, and they were obviously placed indoors. Some large potted plants were brought in later and placed directly in the yard.With such a make-up, it will be different in the middle of the courtyard.

Qiao Mo looked at Situ Xuan more and more suspiciously, asking him so carefully, is it really the uncle's attitude towards the juniors of the aristocratic family?

"I know that your house is newly built, so you must have not planted flowers or trees before, so I randomly got these to decorate your house." When Situ Xuan spoke, his subordinates had already put all the gifts in the main hall of the upper room. up.

At this point, Qiao Mo could only thank him and invite him in for tea.

Situ Xuan didn't have a couple of sips of tea, and asked to see the study room, anyway, it's nothing private, so let people see it.Situxuan is a man of good literary talent, and when he entered the study, he talked about poetry, calligraphy and painting, and even took out a pair of landscapes from the gift box he brought and invited him to share them.Qiao Mo never thought that such a county king would have such a temperament...

No matter how well you hide your emotions, as a county king, can you really not see it?

At noon, the dinner was very sumptuous. Grandma Liu and Zhang Xiaqi went to battle, trying their best to satisfy Prince Kang.Sitting at the table, Qiao Mo was suddenly startled when he saw Zhang Xia's weird eyes.

He is now a little brother, but he does not always have this awareness.Even if the number of generations is wrong, he and this Situ Xuan are not a family after all, and Situ Xuan is not Qi Yun, so how can he sit alone with him so naturally?Last time we met at the shop for the first time, the environment was limited, but this time the other party went straight to the house and gave flowers and plants, so it is impossible to know the situation of his house, so...

What is Situxuan's plan for being so attentive to him?

You can't look up to yourself, can you?

Qiao Mo then overturned it.

Although his appearance is top-notch in Shanglin Village, he doesn't show it in the city, not to mention the expensive land of the capital, where Situ Xuan is the king of the county, what kind of person has never seen him before, how can he be spotted at a glance?What's more, he is married and pregnant.But it would be too much to say that he met the younger generation of a family friend in another country.

"The king of the county said that I look like Ah Mo, so have you seen me? Can you tell me about him? Uncle's stay is short, and it's sad to mention the past, so I don't know much." After a while After thinking wildly, Qiao Mo brought up the topic, not only to break the silent and awkward atmosphere of the dinner, but also to spy on Situ Xuan from the side.

Situ Xuan smiled, raised his eyes and looked at him fixedly, as if he had seen through all his thoughts.

Qiao Mo was uncomfortable being looked at, and lowered his eyes, only to feel that the burning eyes were too hot.

Situ Xuan sighed and laughed again: "Do you think I treat you too close and doubt me?"

Qiao Mo was startled, and just about to deny the other party spoke again.

"You have met Qi Yun, and you will naturally find that you look similar to him. It is normal to say that a nephew looks like an uncle. But you don't know that your aunt and he are brothers of the same blood. They are five or six points similar, but your aunt's facial features Softer and brighter, and full of poetry and literature, even Mo Wenxuan, the No. When we first met, I saw Qi Nan from 20 years ago..."

As if falling into memory, it took a while for Situ Xuan to speak out again: "Back then we were childhood sweethearts with similar family backgrounds. I still wanted to marry him as the rightful emperor, but Old Master Qi betrothed him to one of his students. Then What else did Mo Wenxuan have besides being the number one scholar? He even took him to that bitter cold place, where he died within three years."

After hearing this, Qiao Mo finally felt relieved, so the other party's attitude made sense.

Situxuan also said: "Back then when I was young and vigorous, the Qi family rejected me and chose Mo Wenxuan. When I was angry and disappointed, I no longer interacted with the Qi family. Although the anger passed, the friendship between each other was not as good as before. We got close, especially after your aunt died, I always had a grudge against the Qi family, always thinking that if they hadn't insisted on making Mo Wenxuan their son-in-law, your aunt wouldn't have..."

Qiao Mo could only listen to the entanglements of the previous generation in silence.

Probably after saying these words, Situ Xuan got drunk during the banquet, so Qiao Mo had to settle him in the East Wing where Qi Yun lived before.Recalling those words during the banquet, I couldn't help but sigh.When I asked He Yun earlier, He Yun didn't mention that King Kang proposed marriage to the Qi family. Presumably the two families talked about it in private, but it didn't work out, and the outside world didn't know about it.

Qiao Mo took a nap for half an hour, and when Situ Xuan was still awake when he woke up, he went to the west courtyard to see Li Xue and the others making bamboo weaving.

The exquisite handicrafts sold in limited quantities in the store are very popular, and the monthly quantity is always sold out before the middle of the month, and the profit is very considerable.Qiao Mo wanted Li Xue to have more time to make expensive and difficult handicraft decorations, so he came up with a way. If customers don't want our store's packaging for candies and cakes, they can reduce a few copper coins as appropriate.Generally, people who buy candy don’t lack that little money, but as long as it is convenient, they will let the store give more candy instead of that little money.Most of those who buy pastries don’t need to pack them. They bring their own things and pretend to go. Everyone is happy to save a few pennies.

As a result, the demand for packaging in the shop plummeted, and the amount in stock could be used for a long time. Li Xue and the others had more time to study weaving crafts.

As the saying goes, the master leads the door to practice in the individual, masters the foundation, and opens up the mind, and the rest can only be explored by oneself.Fortunately, Qiao Mo chose good people, everyone was dexterous, and Li Xue and Bai Geer were also flexible in their minds, and they also came up with one or two new styles.As a reward and encouragement, Qiao Mo sealed a big red envelope by himself.

"Brother Qiao is here!" Brother Bai was the first to see him, and while telling him to walk slowly to avoid tripping, he showed him the bamboo weaving he was making.

Don't think it's tiring to do bamboo weaving, but after two months of learning, the pay has started to increase. Now that I earn a lot, my family is happy, and I just have to worship them as bodhisattvas.Seeing this kind of change, several people are even more motivated. Now that it is mentioned, who does not envy them.

No, Li Xue smiled when she saw him: "Brother Qiao, someone asked me to ask you again, whether you still accept people here."

Brother Qiu on the side said: "How many times is this? Don't just agree, you have to ask Brother Qiao if you want it or not."

"I know." Li Xue is now a little more thoughtful, and will think more about everything.

"I don't need it for now, I'll see it next year."

At present, a few Li Xues are enough, but it is not cost-effective to recruit more people.Besides, looking at Situ Xuan's intentions, it is estimated that cooperation will be mentioned again. He is still unwilling to cooperate with him, but he can do business with him.

Qiao Mo was quite satisfied with the situation of the few people, so he picked a place to sit down, took the bamboo strips and began to weave them.

Since Lin Zheng left, Uncle Liu has taken over the work of splitting the bamboo strips, and Old Mama Liu has helped to do the dyeing.

Qiao Mo wove a trash can at will, and took it back to use in the bedroom later, and suddenly remembered the round bamboo woven sofa in modern times, and became interested.I took the bamboo strips again, and started to weave tentatively. If it is woven, not only can it be used at home, but there must be a good market.

Seeing that he had made a big frame, Li Xue inquired curiously. Knowing that the new object was more interesting, she simply stood aside and asked.Thinking that Li Xue and the others did more than he did by hand, Qiao Mo didn't hide it. He explained what the round sofa looked like in detail, and asked them to try it if they were interested. Whoever made it first would do it. Give big red envelopes.

Under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man. As soon as the words fell, several people were all eager to try.

I don't know how long I have been doing it, but suddenly I heard Situ Xuan's voice: "What is Ah Mo doing here? I can't tell."

Hearing his voice at first, Qiao Mo fell down, Li Xue and the others were taken aback, and seeing a strange man full of dignity, they all got up in panic and hid in.Seeing this, Qiao Mo put down the buddies in his hand, explained to them twice, and led Situxuan back to the courtyard.

Situxuan asked about what he said earlier, and Qiao Mo said that he was developing a new chair.

"It's a novelty. If it's really finished, give me a gift. I'll also try how it feels to sit on it." Situ Xuan said with a smile, and he really mentioned the cooperation of bamboo weaving.

Qiao Mo had already planned in his heart, so he said: "I have a small shop now, and I really don't have the energy to do anything else. If the king of the county wants to start this business, why don't I sell you the weaving method and patterns, and you can recruit them from outside?" People build factories and do their own business. You don’t have to worry about finding people, if you do it here, most of the people in Shanglin Village have the basics of weaving, and you can get started with practice.”

"It's still called the king of the county, and it's not an exaggeration to call me uncle. You are the only blood of Qi Nan left in the world." Situ Xuan said with a sigh, but he had no words for the business matter, and he didn't know whether he agreed or disagreed. .

It was not the first time that he had mentioned the title, and at this moment, Qiao Mo couldn't push it any further, so he could only bite the bullet and call "Uncle Shi".

Situxuan was happy to hear that, and then said: "Since you don't want to cooperate with me in making bamboo weaving, let's talk about other things. Although my restaurant is not big, but the business is still good, I tasted the cakes in your shop , the taste is good, how about supplying the restaurant in the future?"

After hearing this, Qiao Mo knew that most of his proposals for cooperation were for support, and he had already rejected it once, so it was hard to keep his good intentions every time.What's more, the supply is different from the previous cooperation, so I agreed. As for the specific supply and price, I have to discuss with the manager of the restaurant, Shopkeeper Lu.

Basking in the sun in the courtyard, having some snacks and drinking a pot of tea, Situxuan left.

Qiao Mo sent the carriage away, thought for a while, went back to the study, opened the unsent letter, added a few words, then sealed it again, and asked He Yun to send it to the post station.