Zhu Nao

Cheng Jingzhe sent Yu Changming out of the villa.At the entrance of the villa, Cheng Jingzhe asked, "Master Yu, when will you send the ledger over?"

Yu Changming: "..."

He said angrily, "Why should I give you the ledger?"

Cheng Jingzhe was slightly taken aback.He didn't know how important the ledger was, so he asked suspiciously, "Aren't you going to show it to the young master?"

Yu Changming said coldly: "No need!"

Cheng Jingzhe glanced at him inexplicably.It's such a good opportunity to get Zhu Nao's advice, but Yu Changming doesn't want it...whether you want it or not.

He shrugged and turned back.

……

a few days later.

Yu Changming stood in Zhu Nao's mansion, staring at the gate blankly.After a while, he gave himself a mouth first, and then stepped forward to knock on the door.

……

In the yard, Zhu Nao just came out of the house and planned to go out to inspect the farm.

A layer of hoarfrost had formed on the ground, and Cheng Jingzhe reminded him: "My lord, be careful when slipping."

Junauha let out a sigh of relief: "It's really cold this year."

Cheng Jingzhe couldn't help shrinking his hands into his cuffs: "Yes."

After following Jun Nao, Jun Nao found someone to teach him martial arts and kung fu, and his body and bones were much stronger than before.At the beginning of winter, he didn't feel cold when he walked around in a thin shirt.But in the past few days, he also had to add thick clothes.This winter seems to be colder than usual.

Just as he was talking, there was a knock on the door outside.

The two looked at each other, and Cheng Jingzhe took the initiative to run to open the door.

Standing at the door was the uncomfortable Yu Changming.

Cheng Jingzhe asked: "Master Yu, why are you here?"

Yu Changming's eyes flickered.

Zhu Nao looked at him twice, understood in his heart, and said with a smile, "Brother Yu, come in and talk."

His tone was very natural, which made Yu Changming relax.He was about to enter, when Cheng Jingzhe suddenly said in surprise: "Eh? Are you here to deliver the account book?"

Yu Changming: "..."

If it wasn't for the innocent look in Cheng Jingzhe's eyes, he would have suspected that this kid was deliberately embarrassing him.

Zhu Nao asked Jing Zhe to inform the servants to prepare some hot tea and pastries, and then welcomed Yu Changming into the house.

The two sat down facing each other, and Yu Changming didn't know what to say—there was no money in Changming's village.

In fact, it shouldn't be so fast. Every year, he saves money and stores a sum of money and food in the village to prepare for emergencies.But firstly, he has recruited a lot of new people recently, and the food consumption is too fast; secondly, this winter is very cold, and the mountains are colder and more humid than those outside the mountains. Many people couldn't bear the cold and fell ill.He had to buy new warm clothes and quilts, and asked doctors to treat the villagers, which added a lot of expenses.So much so that after just a few days, there was no money left in the mountains.

Zhu Nao was the first to speak: "Brother Yu, are the new people you recruited still tame?"

Yu Changming nodded: "It's okay."

He recruited nearly a hundred people from Longcheng Mountain at one go. If these people can settle down well, they will add a powerful force to Changming Village.If the settlement is not good, it may also become a hidden danger in the village.There is no need for Zhu Nao to remind him of this matter, he is also aware of it.Therefore, after recruiting newcomers, he immediately broke up the newcomers and divided them into the original villagers, and arranged labor for them so that no one would be idle.After this period of time, those bandits have been assimilated by the people in Changming Village and behaved very docile.

Zhu Nao praised: "Brother Yu really manages people well."

Yu Changming waved his hands, not wanting to hear his compliments.After this opening, he wiped his face away, and said straightforwardly: "Master Zhu, I need money very much now."

Zhu Nao was not surprised at all: "Brother Yu is really not easy to support such a large family. I am willing to lend you some money and food to tide you over, but this is not a long-term solution."

What is the long-term solution?It is to improve and rectify the operation of the cottage, so that the cottage can make ends meet in the future.

After a moment of stalemate between the two, Yu Changming reluctantly took out an account book from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Nao.

Junao took it calmly, and looked through it.

Many secrets in the village can be seen in the ledgers of Changming Village, such as how many men they have, how many weapons they have purchased, and how many fortifications they have built.These should not be easily known to outsiders.Yu Changming didn't trust Zhu Nao that much either. The account book he brought today was redone by him, and a lot of information was blurred on it, and the details were omitted, just an approximate income and expenditure.

Even so, after reading it, Zhu Nao almost understood it.He put down the ledger and said, "You have reclaimed dozens of acres of land on the mountain? What are you planting?"

Yu Changming said: "Beans, and some fruits and vegetables."

"that's it?"

"that's it."

"Oh. What kind of flowers, plants and trees are there on the mountain? Mineral stones? Tell me in detail."

Yu Changming was taken aback for a moment.He does know the situation in the mountains very well, but he used to only pay attention to which plants can be eaten and which trees can be used to make tools.I don't care too much if I don't use it.When Jun Nao asked him such a question, he spent some time recalling it carefully.While he was talking, Junao memorized.

Then, Zhu Nao asked again, "Where does the salt you people in the mountains come from?"

Yu Changming said: "There is brine in the mountains, we use the brine to boil salt."

Zhu Nao narrowed his eyes: "Brine?"

Yu Changming nodded.There is a rock crevice on the mountain, and water seeps out of the rock crevice.At first they thought it was spring water in the mountains, but after tasting it, they realized that it tasted salty and bitter, but it was actually natural brine.Later they used the brine to dry the salt.Although the amount is not large, it is enough for people in the mountains to eat.Zhu Nao asked about the situation of the brine, and he told the truth.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Nao asked about the status of the poultry raised in the mountains.After all the questions were asked, he put down his pen, read it again, couldn't help laughing and shaking his head.

Yu Changming asked awkwardly, "What are you laughing at?"

Zhu Nao put down the pen and paper, took a sip of tea, and said solemnly: "As the saying goes, you can eat mountains by relying on mountains, and eat water by relying on water. It's really not easy for brother Yu to eat so poor in such a rich land."

Yu Changming: "..."

If he wasn't really too poor to eat, he would probably turn around and leave immediately.At this moment, he could only continue to ask anxiously, "What good idea do you have?"

Zhu Nao didn't say anything, and started writing directly.

He wrote very fast, and Yu Changming waited patiently by the side, wanting to wait for him to finish writing before reading.However, seeing Zhu Nao kept writing, filling a piece of paper with eloquence, Yu Changming couldn't bear it anymore, and wanted to go over to see what he was writing.At this time, Zhu Nao put down the pen, shook the wet ink on the paper, and pushed it in front of Yu Changming.

Several suggestions were listed on the paper, which made Yu Changming stunned.

"Change beans to tea?" Yu Changming frowned. He wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he swallowed it.

When he brought his father and fellow villagers into the mountains, he wanted to live a self-sufficient life, so the crops he chose were all needed for daily diet.Because it is difficult to grow grains on the mountain, he grows some beans, fruits and vegetables.However, after two years, he also found that it is impossible to be self-sufficient in the mountains. The harvest of beans he planted is not good, so they can only be used as some supplements. In fact, a lot of food has to be imported from outside the mountains.That being the case, it is really better to plant some more valuable crops and exchange them with those outside the mountain.On the high mountains, tea is the most suitable, and the income will definitely be higher than that of beans.

Yu Changming was still thinking about the pros and cons, but Zhu Nao had already taken out his abacus and calculated it for him.

"Brother Yu, if you grow beans, how many buckets can you harvest per acre of land? Do you have ten buckets?"

Yu Changming pursed his lips and said, "It's less than ten fights."

Zhu Nao said: "Let's count it as ten buckets. Each stone is about two guanqian, and each bucket is a guanqian. But if you change to a tea field and finish it in autumn, one mu can produce two catties of raw tea, and the tea money is based on the amount of tea." Two calculations..."

The abacus was clattered and pushed in front of Yu Changming: "The profit per mu of land has increased by at least thirty times."

Yu Changming: "..."

His face is still calm, but his heart is already roaring like a tsunami.If you don't look at the numbers, you don't know. It's just a shock.Is this more than a little higher?When he got back, he pushed the land away and planted tea instead. He would be in a hurry with anyone who wouldn't let him grow tea!

Looking further down, Zhu Nao listed several kinds of flowers and plants he mentioned, all of which have medicinal value, but they can be deliberately cultivated, picked and sold for money, which is not a small income.

Further down, Yu Changming was quite surprised when he saw a line: "Open a salt well?"

Zhu Nao took it for granted: "Yes, open a salt well. Since there is natural brine in your mountains, there must be veins. Wells are dug along the veins to mine natural salt springs. Extracting brine and drying well salt...just this sum of money is enough for your mountain. Walled people live."

Yu Changming was dumbfounded.

He naturally knows the value of salt, and has always been very fortunate that there is natural brine in the mountains, which saves him the expense of buying salt.But let him sell salt?He really never dreamed of such a thing.

How to find the pulse?How to open the salt well?

Zhu Nao said: "If you don't know how to find veins and mine well salt, leave it to me. I can find skilled craftsmen for you."

Yu Changming took a while to digest, and asked in a daze, "Even if salt is refined, what should we do?"

Zhu Nao was taken aback, and asked in surprise, "Don't you plan to let me manage the tea and salt you planted for you?"

After a pause, his eyes condemned: "Brother Yu, you can't be so unkind, can you?"

Yu Changming: "..."

Yu Changming: "..."

——He said why Zhu Nao was so eager to help him with his ideas, so he was waiting for him here!

It is illegal to sell private salt, but there are also many private sellers.In the current world, laws and regulations have become a tool for officials to make money. As long as you spend money to manage officials well, there is nothing you can't do.However, there are no merchants in Changming Village, let alone the ability to open up sales.If you want to earn this money, the best way is of course to cooperate with Junao.The profits are naturally shared by both parties.

Yu Changming recalled all the previous things, and couldn't help laughing: "You made a plan in front of me that day... No, earlier, when you persuaded me to take over Longcheng Mountain, was this the idea?"

Zhu Nao was noncommittal, just smiled and said, "I said that day, now that I am in this position, what I want to do is to make more money. What's wrong?"

He spoke so frankly that Yu Changming was not angry at all.To be honest, before that, he had never liked businessmen.He always thought that businessmen were greedy for profit and exploited the people.But now that he has cooperated with Jun Nao again and again, not only has he not been exploited, but he has also benefited a lot.Let Jun Nao earn the money, he is willing.

So he continued to look down.

Various measures followed.Based on the account books he provided and the situation he just described, Zhu Nao proposed improvement measures for animal husbandry in the mountains, distribution of labor, and utilization of the new land Longcheng Mountain.If he followed his way, what Yu Changming needed to worry about was not what to do if the people in the village didn't have enough to eat, but what to do with the money they earned.

When Zhu Nao used the abacus again and again to set aside the possible benefits of his improvement, Yu Changming himself felt that his heart was beating a little faster, and he actually had some fun in understanding merchants.

—Money is indeed a good thing.Especially after lack of money, this feeling becomes more and more obvious.

Unknowingly, Yu Changming's sorrow dissipated, and a smile appeared on his face.

However, when he saw the end, he was stunned again, and the smile on his face disappeared instantly.

——The last piece of advice Junao gave him was only two words, and it had nothing to do with money.

Yu Changming put down the paper, looked up at Zhu Nao silently.He tried to see something on Jun Nao's face, but Jun Nao's expression was indifferent, and he couldn't see anything.

Zhu Nao looked out the window, tapped the table with his fingers, and said softly, "Brother Yu, this is a troubled world."

……

Yu Changming carried Zhu Nao's written advice to leave the room and walked towards the gate of the mansion.Along the way, he was a little absent-minded.

His father taught him to read history books when he was young, and when he read the chapters of troubled times, he always saw the flames of war and the flames of war, and the people were devastated.Often after a hundred years of chaos, a hero is born to save the people from suffering and restore the order of the world.At that time, he was young and frivolous, and he had fantasized that if the world would be in chaos one day, he would be the unborn hero.However, when he became the lord of a village and was responsible for eating and drinking for the young and old, he discovered that the so-called hero has too much morality and responsibility under the glory.

He also doesn't know if the world is in trouble now.I heard that the war in the north has been going on for years, and the rebel army has been going south step by step, approaching the capital.It was also heard that there was a storm in the court and frequent coups.And in the southwestern land where he was, although there was no war, there were refugees everywhere and the order collapsed.The world seems to be in chaos, but it seems that there is no chaos yet.

Today, his state of mind is completely different from when he was reading history books.Rather than dreaming of becoming a hero in troubled times, he hopes that troubled times will not come.Or, a hero can be born as soon as possible to save the building from falling.

But no matter in troubled times or not, life has to go on...

When passing through the yard, Yu Changming met Cheng Jingzhe who was practicing the stick technique in the yard.

Seeing him coming out, Cheng Jingzhe drew back his stick and stood up straight: "Master Yu, are you leaving?"

Yu Changming came back to his senses and said "En".

Cheng Jingzhe had nothing to say to him, so he said goodbye and went in to find Zhu Nao.

Jing Zhe pushes the door open and enters the room, wanting to ask Jun Nao when he plans to go out, but sees Jun Nao standing at the window, staring at the sky outside in a daze.Jing Zhe walked behind him, followed his gaze curiously.

The weather in the cold winter was a bit bleak, with clouds covering the sun and a thick fog.

Jing Zhe said: "Young Master, what are you looking at?"

Zhu Nao said: "Jing Zhe, when do you think this day will change?"

Jing Zhe was taken aback.Although the weather is gloomy, there is no sign of it changing.Such is the case in winter, from the bleakness of morning to night.There will be a sunny scene until after the beginning of spring.

But Zhu Nao said it would change, Jing Zhe immediately believed that it would change.He said, "Will the sky change? Then I'll take an umbrella with me?"

Junao: "..."

He burst out laughing, stretched out his hand to stroke Jing Zhe's hair.

Jing Zhe looked at him ignorantly.

"Let's go!" Junao turned and walked out.If you don't go out, it's almost dark.

Jing Zhe hastily closed the doors and windows, and chased them out.

……

In Changming Village.

Old and weak women and children lined up and slowly moved forward to receive cotton clothes.

Yu Ping brought two people up from the mountainside, and there were only a few people left in the team.He walked over: "Is the cotton coat enough for hair?"

The person in charge of distribution counted the quantity, then looked up at the people still in line, and nodded: "Enough, just right."

Yu Ping bent down and took out a cotton coat from the basket.

The person who distributed the clothes panicked for a moment: "The second village master..."

Changming Village didn't have that much money, so it was impossible to prepare cotton clothes for everyone.Yu Changming bought according to the number of old and weak women and children, and young and strong men can only be next to each other.If Yu Ping wanted to take one, someone would not be able to get it.

Fortunately, Yu Ping was not so shameless, he just glanced at it and threw it back.He shook his head, led his followers and swaggered away.

The two people following Yu Ping were named Sun Datou and Feng Dazui.Although Yu Changming is well-known in the village, but the size of the village makes it impossible for everyone to follow him.Compared with Yu Changming's benevolence and righteousness, these two agree with Yu Ping's thoughts more, and they often help him do things to win people's hearts in the cottage.

After walking for a while, a gust of cold wind blew past, and Sun Datou couldn't help shivering.He complained: "Buying so many clothes..."

He wanted to blame Yu Changming for being stingy and buying too few clothes, but before he finished speaking, Yu Ping interrupted with a sneer: "It's ridiculous, there is only so little money in the village, and he doesn't save money to buy food , to buy clothes for those useless people.”

Sun Datou: "..."

Yu Ping said coldly: "If I were the head of the house, I wouldn't waste my money on this kind of place. People who don't experience freezing can freeze to death. There are too many wastes in the cottage, so I just take this opportunity to clean it up."

Sun Datou immediately shut his mouth tightly.

Feng Dazui repeatedly echoed: "That's right, there are so many useless people raised in the village, which made us starve."

Yu Ping sneered: "When my brother has no money, I'll see what he will do!"

Sun Datou hurriedly said: "When there is no money in the village, everyone will know that the village master's method will not work, and the second village master is the most wise!"

Yu Ping took it for granted.

Although he doesn't know the accounts in the village, he knows that the village will soon be exhausted.Recently, the daily distribution of food has been decreasing.He could feel that the people in the village were a little anxious recently.

So what if Yu Changming has prestige?So what if the people in the village serve him?People are willing to serve him only because he can still make people eat right now.Once the food cannot be supplied, his prestige will be shattered immediately.People would blame him for raising trash, blame him for spending money where it shouldn't be, blame him for being soft-hearted... blame him for not being worthy of being the village leader.

Thinking of that moment coming soon, Yu Ping slowly raised a smile of anticipation.