In the midst of everyone's anticipation and anxiety, midsummer finally arrived. In the past few days, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan put aside all their work and stayed at home. Zhang Zhong also tried his best to hand over his work to others. He also accompanied his wife who was waiting for delivery at home.
Zhang Xiaobao's mother and Wang Juan's mother were pregnant at the same time. It was as if they were two different people.
"Xiao Bao, is this a coincidence? Will they give birth to another child at the same time, just like us? "
Wang Juan found it very interesting. She heard that she and Zhang Xiaobao were born at about the same time, and they were also found to be pregnant on the same day.
Zhang Xiaobao did not know how to guess. When he heard Wang Juan's question, he replied, "Who cares? We're going to have a younger brother or sister soon. We'll make a cradle and a baby carriage."
The two of them were no longer worried about their mother's younger brother or sister. After the delivery room was repaired, they had delivered many women in succession, including a few twins. The doctors in the delivery room had accumulated a lot of experience. In addition, it was not the mother's first time, and she usually took good care of her body. Although the child might be a little smaller, it would not be strenuous when it was born.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's mothers were in a very good mood at this time. They were not in a hurry at all. Every day, they would ask someone to accompany them for a walk, waiting for the day when the child was born.
In order to make sure that their younger brother or sister would not lack milk, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan specially found a cow that had just given birth. It was not an authentic cow, but it was fine as long as it had milk. They also asked a craftsman to carve a milk bottle out of glass and made a nipple with a kind of gum. When the time came, they would stuff it in and the baby would drink it by himself.
All the preparations were done, and they were just waiting for the child to be born.
When the people of Lu Zhou heard about this, they came to ask about it. Those who were further away also tried to find a way to ask the caravan from there. Everyone was looking forward to the birth of a new life.
The merchants who worked with Lu Zhou's Chamber of Commerce brought out gifts as well. Before the children were born, they had already attracted the attention of tens of thousands of people.
Everyone who had a good relationship with the Zhang family gave them their blessings in their hearts. As for those who had been bullied by Zhang Zhong, it was unknown whether they were vile or not.
The people who went to Hainan Island also came back and put the matter aside for the time being. They would wait until the child was born. There was no big deal there. The people who were sent communicated very well with the local people. There was a small problem when they were going to build the dock there, but it was solved very quickly.
The local people and the original residents agreed to help build the pier after receiving benefits from the Zhang family. However, the local official, who usually didn't get much money and always complained about the hot weather, refused to help.
How could the people in the inner courtyard of the Zhang family not know what these officials were thinking? It was just that they didn't have the ability to make money, so they felt it was unfair to see others making money.
This matter was simple. Wasn't it just money? As long as they were not deliberately hostile, the problem of money was not a problem. The people in the inner courtyard immediately offered benefits. Every time a ship docked there, they would pay a fee according to the size of the ship, and the final half of the fee would be given to the local official.
Half was only one-twentieth. It didn't sound like much, but when the business there really thrived, this money would not be a small amount. Therefore, the local official agreed to help build the pier.
Compared to the Ning family in Qin Province, these officials didn't have much influence in the local area. Apart from the officials who were recommended by the local people and given a title by the imperial court, the rest were sent to Ya Province.
Although they were officials, they didn't have a good life at all. The local residents were basically disobedient, and the people who moved there later were not as honest as those who lived in rich places. Many of the annual taxes could not be collected, and even the tribute was not enough. After all, the people didn't have a good life.
In the past, the people were used to it and didn't care who was an official. However, after Zhang Zhong came to Lu Zhou and the local people learned about the living conditions of the people in Lu Zhou, they no longer paid attention to it. They also wanted to live a good life.
In the past, the people in Lu Zhou were poor and could tolerate it. However, after the people in Lu Zhou had a good life and could eat meat every few days if they wanted to, they stopped. They found that the poverty here was not because the place was not good, but because of the officials.
In particular, when the amusement park was built, the fishermen in Ya Province deliberately came to take a look. Last month, the children of two tribes were even invited to play here for a few days. Naturally, the tribes sent warriors to protect them.
After playing for a few days, they ate, drank, and lived well. As soon as they returned, they told everyone about it. In a very short time, the people on such a big island knew how good Lu Zhou's place was.
Therefore, when the officials stopped the Zhang family from building a dock here, in addition to the benefits given by the Zhang family, there was also pressure from the local people.
Although the people in Ya Province were not very literate and were relatively ignorant in many places, they were also reasonable. They knew that Zhang Zhong, a high-ranking official, would not come to their place. Now that there was a dock, they would naturally have more contact with him in the future. Ignorance also had its benefits. After knowing about Zhang Zhong's ability, they were very superstitious that as long as they had a little relationship with Zhang Zhong, they would be able to benefit from it.
Except for the small trouble encountered halfway after the construction of the transit station was completed, there was nothing else.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not think about the scam of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce after a brief explanation. Now, they had received benefits. The fish caught by the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce were raised in several large ponds on Lu Zhou's island. Moreover, they did not allow people from other places to visit.
Before Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's mother gave birth, the first trade was made. Until now, the two of them did not know what the fish was called. Even though Zhang Xiaobao had eaten a lot of things at that time, he could not recognize it now. He did not know if it had mutated or gone extinct at that time.
The growth rate of this fish was extremely fast. A small fry could grow up in just a few months. Back then, it could even lay eggs. It was no wonder that the Five Lakes Merchant Association brought it over. If they did that, it would give the local people more confidence.
Usually, fish would lay eggs according to the season. This kind of fish was determined by their size. As long as they grew up, they would lay eggs. Of course, if there were no males, the eggs would not turn into small fish.
The big fish that the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce brought last time had already laid eggs. In the end, they still had to wait for the small fish to grow up. The people of the Zhang family who followed the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce asked around and specifically found smaller fish. They secretly brought them back. After some of them died, the others started to lay eggs in large quantities.
In the few large ponds, when the fish were about to lay eggs, they would think of ways to fish them out and put them in special places to prevent the eggs from being eaten.
When Zhang Wong Clan and Wang Juan's mother entered a small courtyard next to the delivery room and waited, the dozens of people who bought the fish found the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce and told them that it was time to collect the fish eggs.
The people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce were already under a lot of pressure. The Tang Governor Of Ning was very dissatisfied with them. If it were not for the fact that they were further away and there was no one else to replace them, the Tang Governor Of Ning would have been replaced.
The main reason was that the people of Qin Province were not having a good time. Not to mention that the task of reclamation was not completed, they did not even plant all the crops. Today's production would be affected, and the Ning family would not be able to earn a lot of money.
At this time, when they found out that the dozens of people already had fish eggs, the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce thought of advertising. If it was in the past, they could only send people to various places to spread the news. Now, they also knew about the advertising.
They specifically found a branch of the Lu Zhou Chamber of Commerce that was in charge of advertising and took out money to advertise. It would be best if they could get the people nearby to take a look. The advertising department originally did not have this kind of business, but seeing that the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce had taken out more money, they agreed.
Early in the morning, everyone went to the pond with the fish eggs. The people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce were very excited. According to their original guess, if the fish eggs produced could let the people earn back 20-30% of the money they spent to buy the fish, it would be good enough. When the time came, the people who saw the fish eggs would eagerly take out money to buy the fish. As long as they could survive this year, they would be able to scam even more money next year.
That was also the time for them to leave, they really could not afford to wait.
When they arrived at the place, there were indeed many commoners gathered around. There were at least a thousand people. When the people from the Five Lakes Merchant Association arrived, they immediately sent over the samples for them to examine. Were these fish eggs able to be harvested under the same circumstances?
The people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce looked at the fish eggs and found that they were indeed the fish eggs they brought over. As long as they were the same, they did not care about the quality. Even if it was not good, they had to say it was good. Otherwise, how could they scam the people?
The samples of the fish eggs passed and were placed at the side for comparison. Following that, the dozen or so families brought the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce to the edge of the pond. The pond was very shallow, and there was fine sand at the bottom. The water was clear, and they could clearly see the situation inside.
"Master Yan, it's here, they're all here. According to the original agreement, there are about 6,000 fish eggs in the pond. Master Yan, do you want to fish them out and take a closer look?"
The dozen or so families asked the head of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce with a smile. This person from the Zhang family was in charge of their business, and the person from the Zhang family wanted to help them negotiate.
When the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce heard this, it took them a while to recover from their shock. When they looked at the fish eggs in the pond, they were all dumbfounded. Master Yan pointed at the fish eggs in the pond and asked in disbelief, "All of them? Why are there so many? "
"Isn't it good? Didn't Master Yan say it before? He said that using fish eggs can make a lot of money. If we have more fish eggs, we'll have more money in the future. Isn't that the logic? "
The person from the Zhang family congratulated the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce as he spoke.
The people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce did not know what to say. That was what they said before, but the problem was that … they were lying. Who would have thought that just a dozen or so families would have to fork out more than 6,000 strings of money? How many times was that?
They could only stand there and deal with the people from the Zhang family. The smiles on their faces were no longer the same as before. The dozen or so families had already been arranged by the Zhang family. Now, they were smiling at the people from the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce, waiting for them to take out the money.
The surrounding people also looked at the people from the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It seemed that they were considering whether to buy as well.
At this time, Master Yan's sweat had almost dried up. He knew that there were many eyes looking at him. If he did not take out the money this time, then no one would buy anymore. But if he took out the money, and there were not many people buying in the future, then wouldn't he lose money?
Most importantly, how could the fish produce so many eggs? That's not right. According to the current situation, he would have to pay even more next time.
Thinking of this, Master Yan smiled at one of the dozen or so families and asked, "How do you raise the fish? It's really not bad, to be able to produce so many eggs."
"Then, can these eggs be exchanged for money?" the person who was asked asked rhetorically.
"Yes, I'll get someone to send the money over in a moment. You have so many fish eggs, we can also earn money. How do you raise the fish?" Master Yan did not give up and asked again.
"Just like what you said."
"Then can we go take a look at the fish?"
"We've eaten all of them. We're waiting for you to give us new fish. That fish is more delicious. If I had known earlier, I would have left two for you, Master," the person replied with a smile.
"You've eaten? Oh, that's right. New fish will be sent over soon. Did everyone see that? With this kind of fish, as long as you have a string of coins, you can get 6,000 strings of coins in the end. Two strings of coins, that's 12,000 strings of coins. Is there anyone else who wants to raise them? Come to me. "
Master Yan had no other choice. This should be the last chance. He could not wait for the next round of fish eggs. Since there were so many people now, he could help advertise more. As long as everyone was tempted by Lu Zhou's offer, he could still make a profit. Even if only 30% of the people were willing to buy, it would be fine.
He thought that there would be a lot of people coming over immediately. In the end, the people around him were all standing there. No one came forward at all.
When he saw that no one was coming, Master Yan was a little dumbfounded. He asked the people from the Zhang family who came over, "Are they complaining that they don't earn enough?"
"No, they haven't seen the money yet." The people from the Zhang family signaled to Master Yan to let him understand that if the money was not brought over, no one would continue to buy.
Master Yan was enlightened. "Oh, right, right, money. Men, hurry up and bring the money over."
As soon as he said that, someone immediately went over to get the money. This was not what they wanted, but the yamen runners had already surrounded them. If they did not pay up, they would be arrested. At that time, the money they brought would also be confiscated. Now, the people from the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce were in a difficult situation.
Each of them was very regretful. If they had not agreed so readily and said that they wanted to take a good look at the fish eggs, they could have said that the things here were not good and tried their best to lower the price or even refuse to buy. However, they did not know that there would be so many fish eggs. In a moment of haste, they agreed.
There was no difference between the fish eggs in the pond and there. They did not dare to go back on their words at this time.
Everyone waited for more than two hours before the 6,000 strings of coins were finally brought over. The fish eggs of more than a dozen families were placed in the same pond. It was not good to ask each family how much they had, so they directly gave the money and let them divide it among themselves.
Once the money was exchanged, Master Yan took this opportunity to immediately say to the surrounding people, "See? The money has been given. As long as you have the money, you can get 6,000 strings of coins. What are you waiting for? Buy it now. When the next year, when the eggs are laid, you can buy whatever you want. Wear new clothes as you please and eat meat every day. "
He, who was not good with words, was forced to the point that he had no other choice. As he spoke, he looked at the surrounding people.
He thought that the people who were watching the show would rush over in an uproar. Who would have thought that the people who were looking forward to seeing the money would all rush to the side of the dozen families and congratulate them when they saw that the money was in their hands. After congratulating them, they turned around and left one by one.
"Everyone, everyone, please wait. This is a business that can make a lot of money with just a little bit of money. Everyone, please don't leave."
Seeing the people disperse in all directions, Master Yan was really anxious this time. He even ran over to pull on a person's sleeve and advised that person.
"Not buying. I have no money and no place. My house is on the other side of the mountain." The person who was pulled struggled to break free and left after saying that.
"How can this be? How can this be? " Master Yan was even more dumbfounded. He felt that today's matter was too simple, but the result was unexpected.
The other people from the Five Lakes Merchant Association were also stunned. The 6,000 strings of coins were gone, the advertising fee was gone, and their mission was not completed. Wasn't everything fine just now? How did it change in the blink of an eye?
After waiting for the surrounding people to disperse, the person from the Zhang family shook his head and said to Master Yan, "My house is busy with other things. I don't have time to play with you. This time, I will teach you a lesson. Go back and tell your master to correct your thoughts."
"What? What are you saying? I don't understand. " When Master Yan heard the words of the Zhang family, sweat seeped out again. He felt his vision darken and he almost fell. He was in a daze for a moment before he stood up and pretended not to understand.
"It's fine if you don't understand. As long as you know that my house is not free, I will let you go. Otherwise, this time, I will sell you less fish eggs and buy a few dozen strings of coins. When the little fish grows up, it will not be just a matter of 6,000 strings of coins. Let's go. We agreed that the Zhang family will vouch for them. Now that you have so many fish eggs, you can go back and split them."
The person from the Zhang family completely ignored the other party's pretense. After saying this, he carefully walked back. The yamen runners also surrounded them and escorted the people from the Five Lakes Merchant Association back to the Lu Zhou Merchant Association so that they could split the money.
If the people from the Five Lakes Merchant Association still wanted to play dumb before, they were no longer in the mood now. It was obvious that the Zhang family had seen through them. It's over, the people from the Five Lakes Merchant Association thought at the same time.
They understood the words of the Zhang family. They heard that the two madams of the Zhang family and the Wang family were going to have children soon. Therefore, they did not have the leisure to play with them here.
So it turned out that they had been schemed against. What kind of bullsh * t idea was that? It had just started, but it was already over. Not only did they not get any money, but they also had to pay a lot of money. What should they do?
"Big brother, what do we do? Do we just go back like this? Won't the master skin us alive? "A person beside Master Yan thought of the consequences and asked with a trembling voice.
Master Yan had no other choice. He was still very grateful to the Zhang family. To be more precise, he was grateful to the two madams of the Zhang family and the Wang family. If they were not busy now, and the Zhang family really did what that person said just now, he and the others would not only have to pay a few thousand strings of coins.
It was very likely that the Ning family would be implicated as well. They did not have the time to care about other things now. It was said that the two madams were pregnant with two babies.
"Huff!" Master Yan exhaled heavily. He looked at the people beside him and said, "Let's go back. Give the Zhang family the money and leave this place immediately. Don't be afraid. If the master knows about Lu Zhou, he won't blame us. He will only complain that the family's idea was bad."
"Oh!" The few of them agreed at the same time. However, in their hearts, they were thinking, 'Was it really a bad idea?' When they first found out about this idea, they thought that everyone in the family was as powerful as immortals. This method could be used to deceive everyone.
However, when it came to Lu Zhou, it was different from what they imagined. It seemed that the Zhang family's business was not simple. Otherwise, how could they know that they were here to deceive them?
"Big brother, I don't think it's good to go back like this. Why don't we take a detour to Lianzhou and take a look? Could it be that Lianzhou could see through it? We still have some money. Let's find something faster. No matter what, we have to get back the money we lost. "
One of the people in the group obviously did not want to lose money. He was afraid that they would be punished when they went back. As soon as he said that, the eyes of everyone in the group, including Master Yan, lit up. They agreed with this idea.
"Okay, let's do that. Not only Lianzhou, after we're done deceiving Lianzhou, we'll continue to deceive other places. We just have to avoid the Zhang family's business and avoid them."
Master Yan said excitedly. He looked at the people who followed him and saw them nodding. He waved his hand and led them to Lu Zhou's Chamber of Commerce.
At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not go far. The two of them were reading under the shade of a tree in the courtyard. Today's matter had been arranged and they were waiting for the other side's reply. If the people of the Five Lakes Chamber of Commerce dared to not pay up, they would be directly arrested.
"Little Young Master, Little Miss, they've paid. They've paid 6,000 strings of coins. It should have been more, but we didn't have time to check carefully. Even if they paid 6,000 strings of coins, our Chamber of Commerce can still take another share."
A person rushed in from outside and reported happily to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
"Good, it's good that they've paid. I don't have time to accompany them. There are still important things waiting for me to do." Zhang Xiaobao stopped and said.
"Little Young Master is right. But, Little Young Master, they seem to want to deceive other places. Should we remind them of other places?" The person asked again.
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