Zhang Zhong was not surprised to hear his son reveal his intentions. He was used to his son and daughter-in-law's abilities. It was no wonder they wanted to stop at Kaifeng to buy seeds and farming tools. They had already calculated what kind of trouble they would encounter when they arrived.
"Alright, I'll arrange it now." Zhang Zhong gently pinched his son, who was listening to his elder brother and father with wide eyes. He got up and prepared to leave.
"Father, there's no rush. If we can delay it for two days, we'll do it the normal way. First, we'll get people to secretly transport the seeds and farming tools to the various counties. Father, you can find the merchants who are in charge of these two matters and talk to them. Listen to what they have to say. The longer we delay it, the later they will use another plan. I can wait for the other plan to be in place."
Zhang Xiaobao saw that his father was about to carry it out immediately, so he quickly stopped him. His arrangements were still lacking, and he was afraid that the locals would immediately use another plan when they saw that the plan had been broken the moment it was brought out.
Zhang Zhong thought about it and nodded in agreement. Wasn't it just eating and drinking with the locals and looking at their expressions? It was simple. He wanted to see what they could do.
After Zhang Zhong left, Wang Juan curiously approached Zhang Xiaobao. "Xiao Bao, how did you know they would do this?"
"How would I know? I just prepared for what might happen in advance. It's just a common method. There are only a few methods that local officials can use to make things difficult for officials.
When we came here, we were prepared. If they make things difficult for us, we'll send them things. Even if they don't make things difficult for us now, we still have to send them. Not all citizens can use new plows, and not all citizens can plant good seeds. Didn't Li Longji send my father over to raise the rent?
Our family will pay for the tools and seeds. We'll give him a satisfactory answer in the name of the Li family. How good would that be? He'll get more rent and a good reputation. My father wants to go to Luoyang next. There are two sets of government. The power struggle in Luoyang is not as bloody as in the capital. It's better to get used to it. "
Zhang Xiaobao explained to Wang Juan, and Wang Juan nodded in understanding. She had thought that Zhang Xiaobao could calculate, but it turned out that he had made arrangements based on historical experience.
She dipped some coconut oil and pearl cream into the shell and gently rubbed it on the sides of her siblings' noses and around their mouths. She said, "Be careful when feeding them fruits in the future. Rub it on the sides of their mouths. If you rub it on them again, the skin will burst. Look, it's all red."
"That's because it's dried under the sun. A small shell costs a hundred copper coins. How can the skin be broken? When the imperial court stabilizes the trade route in the north, build a factory there and ship shells from the south. Use the fats and fats from the north to make hand and face guards and sell them back to the north. "
Zhang Xiaobao changed his little brother's position and gently rocked him to let him sleep. He casually told Wang Juan about a deal.
"You can use a piece of tin foil on a wooden box. Why do you have to use shells?" Wang Juan kissed her sister's face and got a series of giggles in response.
"That's not the same. We sell shells. There is no sea there. Usually, we call places like lakes or bubbles. When using our products, the shells in the sea are a symbol of identity. If it's not convenient to transport the meat back and forth, we can choose a place around the local area to dig a cellar and freeze it."
"Why do you freeze so much meat? Do you want to hit the market? "Wang Juan heard something else from Zhang Xiaobao's words.
"It has nothing to do with the market. Freeze it. It can still be eaten after two or three years. It can be preserved longer than canned food." Zhang Xiaobao's eyes looked to the north and pretended to be mysterious as he said.
Wang Juan pondered for a while, but still couldn't figure out why Zhang Xiaobao was hoarding meat. She said, "Why don't you make some canned food and sell it? There's not too much technology. The sealing and air pressure are easy to solve. If it really doesn't work, leave a vent. When it's hot, use pliers to pinch it.
I found that there are many places where meat is cheap, especially fish. Because of the inconvenience of transportation, the price of meat is too high. Ordinary people can't afford it. "
"If you don't do it, you can't afford it. The rich people can eat it no matter how expensive the meat is. Your method can only be used for the middle class. The poor people still can't eat it. There are no railways and no highways. Transporting a ton of canned food will consume at least two tons of food.
Even if you transport it by water, what are you going to use to make that can of scalp? Use iron? If iron is not valuable, there won't be so many wheels made of wood. The iron wrapping around the wheels is also wear-resistant. "
"Then don't do it. Find more craftsmen to make kilns. Most people still use wooden bowls. Buckets and water jars are all made of wood. It's not convenient to use them. It's easy to grow bacteria. Why don't you sell the soap we make? We can use it ourselves. "
Wang Juan estimated the price of iron and gave up on the idea of letting more people eat meat. She changed the topic and asked about another commonly used soap.
Zhang Xiaobao put his sleeping brother on the small bed beside him. "It's not that we don't want to sell it, but we don't dare to sell it. Glass is not really sold for a lot now. The asking price is very high. Most of the glass is used to make other things that we need, or to give away.
If it's you, you won't want to sell it at such a high price, right? Especially that thing can be used to make telescopes. Li Longji is seeking stability now. He has already dealt with all the people who contributed to this project. Even my grandfather, who I have never met before, has been dealt with. If it wasn't for that time, my mother wouldn't have escaped.
Oh, now that you mention it, I just remembered that I didn't visit my grandfather's house when I passed by. It's my grandfather's father-in-law's house. It's near the Yangzi River. It's a good place. Meng Mountain Peak Tea, Yangzi River Heart Water. Let's go and take a look. "
"I don't like to drink Meng Mountain Tea. I'm not used to drinking black tea. I think the spring water in the middle of the Yangzi River is heavy water. It's water that contains a lot of minerals. If it's mixed with black tea, it will be hard to drink. You still haven't told me what to do with the soap."
Wang Juan trembled when she heard about Meng Mountain Peak Tea. She had drunk it before, but she had a stomachache every time she drank it. Later on, she refused to drink black tea and only drank green tea.
"When we have a large pig farm, we can give the recipe to Li Longji. When he starts to make money in the first half of the year, we can follow behind and sell it. This thing is used for daily necessities. The rich people have always used it. Our method is just that the cost of adding things is lower and the production is faster.
If we start to mass produce now, many people won't be able to eat lard and pig intestines. The key is the food, or in other words, the pig grass. In the past two years in Shuzhou, I have been preparing to continue teaching the local people how to raise pigs, ducks, and fish.
As long as we succeed this time, the imperial court will spread this method to more places that are suitable for using it. The initial cost will be a problem. "
Zhang Xiaobao wanted to use his method to influence more people. The current officials could at least do something practical.
"I think the biggest problem is that the population is too small. As long as there is a disaster or something like that, it will cause a huge impact. With a small population, the productivity won't increase, and the total amount of living resources will be limited. When the social resources are allocated, there will be a gap.
It's like many small countries, where the average living standard is high, but once there is a special situation, a few hundred billion can bankrupt the country. When a national disaster occurs, the country will be finished. When the production resources of a large country are complementary, when one area is affected by a disaster, the loss can be transferred to other areas. The larger the population, the smoother the macro situation will be. A few hundred billion won't even make a splash. "
Wang Juan had her own opinion.
Zhang Xiaobao pondered for a moment and felt that it was true. In fact, it was the production technology that was behind, and they could only rely on the number of people to make up for it.
"Forget it, we will talk about it when my father's position is high enough. Come, let's go learn from Grandpa Bi." Zhang Xiaobao waved his hand to let the servant girls in to take care of the little ones. He went out with Wang Juan to learn.
*****
At this time, Zhang Zhong had also arrived at his destination. Since he took office, he did not have many things to do. His predecessor had left him piles of documents and booklets. If it were someone else, they would have been overwhelmed with work. Unfortunately, this trick was useless on Zhang Zhong. He only needed to call 50 people from the inner court to help him organize and look through them.
Lu Zhou's trip was not in vain. The people from the inner court who used to learn theory from him had been trained by Lu Zhou, and they had a good understanding of all aspects. Now, Zhang Zhong was full of confidence. Even if he was given a provincial capital without any officials, he could immediately use the people from the inner court to support all the county yamens. He even had guards and yamen runners.
Who wanted to suppress him with a large number of documents? It was useless. Not to mention the people who were specially trained in this direction, even the side dishes in the kitchen could only snort and say something like, "Tracing back to the source, Wan Wan at the center of the water."
All this was because Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan wanted to build up the foundation of the aristocratic families. Zhang Xiaobao's final request was that the people from the Zhang Family and the Wang Family who raised pigs could pass the imperial examinations. They were better than the scholars of the same class because they did not know how to raise pigs.
This was not difficult for the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. As long as Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had learned, they would organize them into booklets and explain the difficult points in simple words. They were not like the teachers who pretended to be profound and complicated things that were very simple.
The inner courtyard of the two families could discuss with each other. If they encountered something that they did not know, they could ask Madam and Zhang Zhong. There was also Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. If the family did not know, then they could ask Old Man Pi. If the Old Man Pi could not figure it out, Zhang Xiaobao would send a messenger pigeon to ask the Old Man Pi to ask someone else.
Old Man Pi was Bi Gou. He had been the Zuo Shiyi and the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat. He had also been the Provincial Governor of Run Province, Wei Province, Tong Province, Shan Province, and four provinces. He had been the Chief Historian of Yi Province and the Imperial Censor. He had been the Minister of Appointments and the Governor of Guangzhou. When he came to Sanshui County, he was the Minister of Henan, the Minister of Revenue, and the Crown Prince Zhan Shi.
If he encountered an academic problem that he could not solve, then it would be a big problem. Even Li Longji had to be involved in the imperial court. As long as he encountered a problem that could not be solved, then countless people in the imperial court would have to follow suit and take note of the problem, so that they could teach others in the future.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were good to Old Man Pi. Other than admiring his moral character, they also thought about the academic aspect. The two of them concluded that Old Man Pi was that his existence was a legend. His life was a treasure trove, and he was on the same level as the giant panda.
Zhang Xiaobao and the Wang family grew up in this kind of environment. They had already studied for seven years and had practical experience.
Not to mention a mere provincial capital, even if all the officials in Luoyang were dead, all the departments would still operate as usual if the Zhang family's inner courtyard were pulled over.
This was true wealth. Because of this, Zhang Zhong felt much more relaxed. Moreover, there were two little immortals in his family. Even if the sky collapsed, let alone a banquet at Hongmen, Zhang Zhong believed his two families would be able to survive.
"Provincial Governor Zhang is here! Provincial Governor Zhang is here!" Zhang Zhong walked leisurely along the way. There were only three people following him. One of them was a page boy, and the other two were armed to the teeth. There were only four of them, and they did not put on airs. They were far inferior compared to his father-in-law.
They were still 200 feet away from the restaurant, but the merchants in the restaurant had already rushed out and greeted them. Each of them had a sincere smile on their faces.
Zhang Zhong knew that opponents like these were the most terrifying. They were more than 100 times more powerful than the people Lu Zhou had encountered in the past.
A provincial governor had to act like one. Even if they did not take a carriage because it was not far away, they had to show the temperament of a third-grade official. Weiwei nodded and walked into the restaurant. The people around her followed behind her.
The restaurant was called Near the River, but it was actually quite far from the river. It had three stories. It was not considered short. If it were an ignorant official, they would be shocked by the bright paint on the restaurant's exterior. Most importantly, there was a platform on the third floor of the restaurant. It was more than 20 feet tall. There was a staircase at the top, and it was possible to set up a table for people to drink.
This was Zhang Zhong's first time here as well. The restaurant was renovating a few days ago, and only a platform was installed. There was no need to ask, he knew the price of the dishes and wine would not be cheap.
The owner of the restaurant was also accompanying them at the furthest corner. He hoped the new provincial governor would know his strength.
Unfortunately, they were facing Zhang Zhong. What did the Zhang family do? It was just a three-story restaurant with bright paint. Did it think it could soar into the sky with a 20 feet tall platform?
If one was ignorant, they should go and have a look Between the Clouds and the Water. It was like a dream. If one were to go and have a look between the Clouds and the Sea, it would be accompanied by the tide of the sea. In terms of grandeur, it was inferior. It could not move Zhang Zhong's heart, which could already accept Little Immortal.
To Zhang Zhong, the three-story restaurant in front of him was not as good as the entertainment building of the four little ones. In just half a month, Xiaobao and Cuckoo had created a complete set of terrain. There were mountains and rivers, pavilions and reflections, streams, parrots singing and swallows dancing, green grass, waterfalls and rainbows, mushroom treehouses, wind chimes gently ringing, and winding corridors.
This was because his son and daughter-in-law were afraid that the mist was not good for the little fellows' health. Otherwise, they would be able to see the scenery of rain and mist.
The four little fellows did not understand, but the adults did. As long as the place was enlarged and the house was built bigger, it would be another paradise on earth. No matter who saw it, they would be attracted. However, outsiders would not be able to see it at all. According to his son and daughter-in-law, this was the style of an aristocratic family. They were dedicated to their work and did not make it public.
Compared with his own restaurant and the children's entertainment building, the three-story Near the River Restaurant became a vulgar decoration in Zhang Zhong's eyes. Without any words of praise, he led the way in.
The owner of the restaurant was the saddest, but he had to serve them carefully. The group went directly to the best platform. The restaurant also made a menu and gave it to them for them to order. It was rare for other restaurants to have such a situation. Usually, it was the waiter who did the talking. After all, some people were illiterate.
The menu was pushed in front of Zhang Zhong. A businessman said with a smile, "Sir, please order. As long as you want to eat, you can order it here."
"Really? Okay, I will choose two light dishes. One is cucumber peeling and the other is vinegar jellyfish. I want vinegar jellyfish that is more than one year old. You can order the others. "
Zhang Zhong did not make things difficult for them. These two dishes could be eaten at home, especially the cucumber peeling. He liked the kind with more sesame sauce. It was refreshing.
He did not order expensive dishes like bear paw and deer lips. Usually, he could only eat them at home occasionally. His son and daughter-in-law did not allow him to eat more, saying that the fat and cholesterol were too high.
He ordered it easily, but the waiter was in a difficult position. There were no such two dishes here. He did not know what the peeling was. There were sea jellyfish, but there was no sea jellyfish that was more than one year old. It seemed that the sea jellyfish was not just dried. There must be some reason.
Seeing the expression on the waiter's face, the businessmen knew what was going on. Among them, a businessman who specialized in making plows immediately mediated.
"Provincial Governor, why don't you order two meat dishes? It's not good to have too many vegetarian dishes."
Zhang Zhong also understood. The waiter did not have these two dishes. He said it casually and made things difficult for the waiter. Meat dishes were meat dishes, and they were often eaten at home.
"Give me wood ear fried meat stewed with monkey head mushrooms. Also, give me a serving of smooth mutton slices."
These two dishes were usually home-cooked dishes with wood ear in them. It was right to listen to his son and daughter-in-law and eat more wood ear and mushrooms.
The waiter was stunned again. There was meat and mutton tenderloin, but he had never heard of such dishes. Where could he get the wood ear and monkey head mushrooms? He had never heard of the monkey head mushrooms, but he knew about the wood ear mushrooms. However, he had not received any wood ear mushrooms at this time.
'Those things are not available all the time. Provincial Governor is Provincial Governor. He eats different things from others. He specially chooses things that others do not have. He wants whatever is expensive.'
The waiter thought. How could he know that Provincial Governor Zhang was used to eating at home? If he wanted to eat something special, he had to find the ingredients first. For example, braised tiger steak in brown sauce. He had to leave at least a month to find it. Wasn't it difficult to order such dishes? It was fine as long as they were dishes that could be seen on the table at home every day. He ate honestly and did not want to show off. Well, not show off.
"Lord Zhang, I am late. Please forgive me." Just as the waiter was in a dilemma, another person came in from outside. It was the Military Registrar of Shuzhou. He was in charge of the soldiers and was also responsible for monitoring the Provincial Governor.
Zhang Zhong did not expect that the Military Registrar could also come. This was not right. Why was he late? His position as Provincial Governor was the highest. In Shuzhou, no one was qualified to make him wait except for the County Prince Li Xun. Moreover, Li Xun would not be like this. He always treated him with the etiquette of a junior.
Therefore, Zhang Zhong only nodded slightly and did not say anything. He knew about this matter.
The Military Registrar also knew that Zhang Zhong was not satisfied. He smiled and asked the person on Zhang Zhong's left to sit somewhere else. He said to Zhang Zhong, "Sir, I just heard about this matter. I was busy deploying the soldiers. I am afraid that there will be too much rain this year. I hope you can forgive me."
Since the Military Registrar had apologized, Zhang Zhong could not continue to treat him with a cold face. He said, "It doesn't matter. Everything is for the sake of the people. Can you cook the dishes?"
The latter words were naturally for the waiter.
The waiter's signature smile had already changed. Could he cook the dishes? He didn't even know what they were. How could he cook them?
The Military Registrar looked at the waiter's face. Before he could ask, someone beside him whispered the four dishes just now. He immediately understood and said, "Just cook the dishes.
How dare you ask Lord Zhang to tell you the names of the dishes? Have you eaten a bear's heart and swallowed a leopard's gall? In Lord Zhang's house, there are countless restaurants Between the Clouds and the Water. Is it a place where you can easily answer correctly? These four dishes are all Lord Zhang's usual dishes at home. Why don't you hurry up? "
Zhang Zhong was a little surprised. He did not expect that the Military Registrar knew him so well. It was true. He nodded to the waiter.
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