The sound of firecrackers gradually died down. Li Longji and the others had already returned before dawn. The little ones who said they were going to keep watch until dawn couldn't hold on. They were arranged to take a bath. Yawning, they said they would continue to play the next day and fell asleep one after another.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan followed their family into the small hall. They drank tea and ate dried fruit as they talked.
The servants in the family had changed. The people who took over were all very energetic. Unfortunately, because they were sleeping, they didn't make it in time for the New Year's Eve dinner. Zhang Xiaobao drove them out to eat with the others. There were no longer any servants in the small hall.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, after you get married, where do you want to be an official?" Zhang Zhong held a glass of wine in his hand and asked his son and daughter-in-law.
He was very happy today and didn't drink tea. He was very energetic, so he planned to drink a few more glasses of wine. Today, the Emperor came. Although the Emperor would occasionally come to the house for a meal, it was different today. Today was New Year's Eve. What kind of favor could make the Emperor not worship heaven and come to the house for a meal?
Naturally, it had nothing to do with him. The Emperor came for his son and daughter-in-law. He didn't worship heaven and came to the house for a meal. Clearly, the Emperor meant that instead of praying to heaven, it was better to entrust people to him. The people he could entrust to were Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. With the two of them, the Emperor didn't even care about heaven's prestige.
Even the previous state scholars weren't like this, right? Since the Emperor valued Xiao Bao and Cuckoo so much, he should listen to their plans. He couldn't run back to the Bohai Commander-In-Chief's Manor. It was too far from the capital. If something happened, it would be inconvenient to send a telegram.
Zhang Xiaobao was peeling sunflower seeds. He peeled out about 20 and stuffed them into Wang Juan's mouth. There was an outsider here. Otherwise, Zhang Xiaobao would eat them with his mouth and hold them in his mouth. When there was more, he would feed them to Wang Juan because it was faster that way.
Zhang Xiaobao had just fed a handful of sunflower seeds to Wang Juan when he heard his father's question. He smiled casually and said, "After we get married, we'll go back to the capital and stay there. We won't go anywhere until the child is born."
"What about your official position?" Zhang Zhong asked again.
"I'll continue to be a provincial commander, but I won't go back. It's not good for me and Cuckoo to enter the Imperial Court, and we can't be local officials. I plan to open a company with Cuckoo and help others to make money. Anyway, we have nothing to do. The north of Hebei Province is full of our trusted aides, and I don't believe that there will be any trouble."
Zhang Xiaobao took a sip of tea and said as he peeled the sunflower seeds. Fortunately, Wang Juan didn't feed him a big almond, so he had something to chew on in his mouth.
"No." Wang You finally couldn't take it anymore and stopped him. He said to his son-in-law, "Xiao Bao, why are you giving others ideas? We have both manpower and capital in our family. Isn't it good for you to give us some ideas? "
"Oh, my father-in-law, we have enough money. We can't only do business with one family. Are you planning to make the Tang Empire ours?" Zhang Xiaobao explained to his father-in-law.
"That's right! That's right! " As soon as Wang You talked about his family's situation, he straightened his back and laughed proudly. He said, "Indeed, we have to leave some soup for others. We're all from the Tang Empire, so we can't be too selfish. We should help as much as we can. It's not easy for everyone. If one day all the places in the Tang Empire can be like our Sanshui County, that would be great."
Wang Juan took another bite of the melon seeds Zhang Xiaobao handed over and said to her father, "It's not for free. There are three kinds of people who receive money. One is to receive money after giving the idea, the other is to receive money after others use the idea to make money or something is successful, and the other is to receive shares.
Usually, you choose the second kind because no one will trust your idea. If you have power, others will choose the third kind and ask you to do it together with them. You can be considered a backer. However, if it's me and Xiao Bao giving ideas, others will give money even if we receive it first. It's a matter of reputation. "
"You still want to receive money? Our family doesn't lack money. " Wang You felt that it was not good for Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to take money after giving ideas to the Tang people. In the past, they gave ideas to the people for free.
"Father, of course we have to take money. If there's no reward, who would be willing to do things? For example, in Zhuangzi, no matter how much work the farmers did, the master gave them the same benefits. What do you think? "
Wang Juan asked her father.
Wang You was stunned and said, "How much do you charge Xiaobao for giving you an idea but not putting in the effort?"
"It depends on what the other party wants to do. If they want to go to the moon, no matter how much money they pay, they won't accept. If they want to ask how to find a job, I'll charge them two copper coins and give them a map. Let them follow it to the local government and the government will arrange it."
Wang Juan said with a smile.
"The map of the capital is two copper coins." Wang You said.
"That's right, sell it to them. Xiao Bao and I will make a profit from the difference."
"Haha, hahaha, my daughter, you're so funny." Wang You was amused by his daughter's words. He felt that it was a good idea for his daughter to stay in the capital with his son-in-law and not go out.
Zhang Zhong was a little worried and asked, "Will it be very tiring?"
"No, it's open two hours a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The rest of the time, it's not open. Xiao Bao and I still have to teach Xiao Bei and the others. There's also the younger Ji Xiangruyi, which is left to the servant girls to take care of. Me and Xiao Bao are worried.
Xiao Bao always says that raising children is a systematic and big project. It's more difficult than making a name for oneself and running a place well. Children are the continuation of life, but not the continuation of one's ideals. Children are born and raised by oneself, but they also belong to the child. "
Wang Juan rubbed her belly and said.
The Zhang Family and Wang Family both understood that Cuckoo's words meant that she was worried about leaving the children to them to teach. Thinking about it, it made sense. If it was just them, they definitely wouldn't be able to teach Xiao Bei and the others. If they had to say that Xiao Bei, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Hai, and Xiao Zhu were born well, then how would they explain the other five?
It was impossible that the children would immediately become smart after meeting a child and recognizing them as family. It must be the work of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
It was really tiring to see them teach the children. It was as if they were watching them all the time. However, the effect was very good. The children had their own happiness, but they were also very sensible. When these two contradictory things were put together, they were actually unified.
"Well, it's daybreak. Let's rest." Zhang Zhong looked at the sky outside and instructed.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew that the two of them were going to rest. To be more precise, it was the pregnant woman who was going to rest. After staying up all night, it was fortunate that she was in good health. If it were someone with a weak body, after staying up all night, the child would be gone.
"Madam, this way." Zhang Xiaobao immediately went over to support her. The two of them walked out step by step.
"My son-in-law is really good." Wang You praised.
"He's just pretending." Zhang Zhong naturally said the opposite.
"He's not pretending. I can see it. In-law, I'll drink with you and eat some dishes." Wang You was as energetic as Zhang Zhong and didn't want to sleep. After sending both parents away, the two families of four began to drink.
*****
The second day of the new year arrived in the blink of an eye. At around ten o 'clock, which was less than noon, Zhang Zhong and Wang families set out.
Following them were Li Longji, Empress Wang, and Wu Huifei's teams. In total, there were more than five thousand people. This was still a lot of simplification. Otherwise, there would be at least twenty thousand people.
The place they were going to was Sanshui County, which was not very far from the capital. Along the way, they had to pass by the place where Zhang Zhong used to be an official. The danger was very small. The two sides only brought five thousand people. In the sky, Shuiyun's family was flying, so they could detect some dangers in advance.
Shuiyun and Hong Luan had children again. To be precise, they had unborn children. This time, there were more, fifteen of them. In the middle of winter, they insisted on nesting, which was different from other eagles.
As a result, Hong Luan couldn't put all fifteen eggs under her and was very anxious. Shuiyun discussed with Zhang Ying and decided to incubate them in Zhuangzi by using electricity at a constant temperature. This was the first time that eagle eggs were incubated by artificial incubation.
Shuiyun was very relieved. He had seen how poultry eggs were incubated many times. The chicks and ducklings came out and were even willing to run with the hen and duck.
It was unknown how he managed to convince Hong Luan, but in any case, Hong Luan didn't object. After one or two days, the two of them would fly to the manor with the eleven children and look at the hatching eggs through the glass.
As a result, their fifteen unborn children were coveted by others. Someone offered eight hundred thousand strings of cash to buy one and promised to treat it as his own son. As a result, as soon as this person expressed his attitude, someone offered two million strings of cash to buy one and also promised to treat it well.
The price began to rise and stopped when it reached five million strings of cash. This was the price offered by a person on the top ranking list of billionaires. He was ranked nineteenth. Five million strings of cash was five billion copper coins. It was once the annual income of the Great Tang's national treasury to buy one eagle home.
Xiaobei and the others were angry. They selfishly felt that the Shuiyun family's children were their own. What kind of crime was it to spend money to buy a general's child? Was five million strings of cash a lot?
As a result, no one mentioned the purchase again. They understood that the new baby eagles were kept by Xiaobei and the others. Who would dare to compete with them?
Sitting in the ice sleigh, Li Longji looked at Shuiyun's family enviously. After a while, he said, "Freedom, soaring in the blue sky. Xiao Bao, don't you agree?"
"Your Majesty, you want the baby eagles, don't you?" Zhang Xiaobao sat outside in thick clothes and controlled the sleigh. He asked Li Longji bluntly.
"How do you raise them? All the good things go to your family. Look at your dog, bringing you newspapers every day. Most importantly, your family doesn't subscribe to any newspapers. "
Li Longji pointed out the key point. Of course, he wouldn't say that Zhang Xiaobao's dog stole things. He guessed that the dog went to the printing press to get the papers. Would the printing press accept money from it?
Moreover, the most important thing wasn't the number of dogs. Just like Zhang Xiaobao and Wang's Zhuangzi geese, with Furry, all the poultry in Zhuangzi were obedient.
It was the same for dogs. According to Xiao Bao's words, dogs were superior to cats. Some said that dogs would rush to their deaths when their owners were in danger, but none said that cats would rush to their deaths when their owners were in danger.
Therefore, his family's dog could always lead thousands of other dogs to the second line of rescue. This was because the first line was the eagle. It was the fastest and the aid it threw was accurate. This year, there was still heavy snow that crushed the house and blocked the road, but there were no deaths.
As long as they ran out of the house before it collapsed in the middle of the night and persevered until dawn, there would be a flock of eagles to deliver things that could sustain their lives. They were almost unaffected by the weather. Even if the snow was still falling, Shui Yun's family could lead the flock of eagles and fly together with the snow.
"There's no other way. They're good people. There are even swallows at home that don't fly south." Zhang Xiaobao said proudly. In fact, he didn't know what was going on. He had never seen such smart animals before.
As they chatted and laughed, they arrived at Sanshui County.
Sanshui County didn't seem to have changed at all. It was the same as before, but only people who knew the local people knew what kind of existence Sanshui County was. Good production techniques were always in Sanshui County because the people here were the most supportive.
No one dared to guess how rich the people of Sanshui County were. The scenery of Sanshui County was still praised by others.
When they arrived at Sanshui County, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Xiaobao said in their hearts almost at the same time, "We're home."
"It's really a paradise on earth," Li Longji said with emotion.
The scenery in front of them was really beautiful. The snow didn't destroy the ethereal appearance of Sanshui County. It was said that Sanshui County was ethereal all year round, but it was real to live in it.
"Your Majesty, please take a look first. We have to prepare for the wedding." Zhang Xiaobao said a few words to Li Longji before he got back to work. Wang Juan, on the other hand, was restrained by Zhang Xiaobao to not tire herself out.
*****
The 26th day of the first month finally came under the anticipation of all the people of the Great Tang. For the people of the Great Tang, every day was like a year. Except for the children, everyone paid ten copper coins. Even if there was a rich family in the village or county who said that they would pay all of it, no one wanted others to pay.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Xiaobao's restaurant business and business partners finally waited for this day. Before, they were so busy. If they had to find a phrase to describe it, it would be "tired but happy." This was a wedding held by the entire Great Tang for these two people.
Most people wanted to marry the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family in Sanshui County, but they were indeed two families. The two families were next to each other, so when Zhang Xiaobao went home, he couldn't bring Wang Juan back. Wang Juan stayed at her own home.
The two families had already prepared according to the etiquette and were waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to pick up the bride. There were etiquette for official ranks, such as how many people, how many banners, how many horses, and what the carriage looked like.
Moreover, the maternal family had prepared everything and were waiting for the son-in-law to come over so that they could make things difficult for him. At the very least, they couldn't let the son-in-law go over so easily. The servants in the family were all knowledgeable and had studied for more than ten years. Even if they had been taught by Zhang Xiaobao, they didn't plan to give the son-in-law any face at this time.
Who asked the son-in-law to be the top scorer in the imperial examinations? Back then, his song had shocked the capital. If they didn't match three to five poems, they definitely wouldn't let him through the door.
While everyone was waiting, they suddenly discovered a problem. Whether it was the maternal family or the mother-in-law's family, they all discovered that Zhang Xiaobao was gone.
"Big Brother couldn't have fooled around and gone in first, right?" Xiao Bei stood at the door of the maternal family and asked Xiao Yuan, who was beside him.
"Then didn't I prepare the poem for nothing?" Xiao Yuan felt very hurt.
Just as Xiao Bei was about to speak, someone suddenly shouted, "It's coming, it's coming. Damn, it's coming from the sky."
Everyone raised their heads to look. First, it was a small black dot. Then, they heard a buzzing sound. In the sky above the reed lake Between the Clouds and the Water Restaurant, something appeared in the south. It wasn't an eagle, nor was it a bird.
When it got closer, they discovered that there was a person standing on that thing. Someone took out a pair of binoculars and saw that it was the young master. He had actually run up to that thing.
Wang Juan, who was in the attic, heard the sound and pushed open the window to take a look. Her eyes immediately turned round and she used her fastest speed to grab the binoculars. She saw that thing fly over her head and circle in a circle. Then, she saw Zhang Xiaobao make a hand gesture and quickly ran towards the roof of the attic.
After another circle, the thing returned to the top of the lake. Someone saw the young master jump down. Then, a flower appeared on his body. It looked like a parachute, but it was different from the one they had seen before.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't pay attention to the bystanders. He controlled the automatic glider, estimated the wind speed and direction, and flew towards the attic of the Wang family. The moment he passed by the roof, he suddenly hung upside down and extended his hands. Wang Juan, who was in the attic, also extended her hands. The two of them grasped each other tightly in less than a second. Zhang Xiaobao carried Wang Juan and flew into the distance.
What was left behind were the depressed people and their depressed expressions.
"When was the plane ready?" asked Wang Juan, who was sitting on Zhang Xiaobao.
"It flew back last month. Along the way, we passed by several refueling stations. I intercepted the news. You also know that no matter how powerful the woman is, the man is the master of the family. They have to listen to me," replied Zhang Xiaobao.
"So you're saying that you're the most powerful?"
"Wrong. They think that I'm the most powerful. I know that. I have to listen to my wife. My wife is an existence that listens to thunder in silence," replied Zhang Xiaobao.
"From today onwards, you have to tell me everything about your past, especially the pending cases. I have to know how many people you killed and how they died," said Wang Juan with a pout.
"Okay. You scared me to death. I thought you were asking about the 65 women." Zhang Xiaobao let out a long breath.
"Hehe, 65. Don't you know? When you went to the brothel to scheme against someone, someone told me that when you saw a woman approaching you, your legs would tremble. Haha, 65. No wonder you can leap onto roofs and vault over walls. So it's because you're trembling."
"Don't let me know who he or she is. I'll make his heart tremble. He dares to expose my shortcomings."
*****
Some people were depressed at the wedding, while others simply didn't know the actual situation. In any case, the entire Great Tang was celebrating the New Year, with the sound of firecrackers and then the eating and drinking.
Previously, when Zhang Xiaobao was receiving gifts, it was already enough of a sensation. The gifts that he gave were something that no one dared to even think about. However, there were still people who wanted to give it a try if they had the chance. This was especially so for those on the top rankings. When their grandson got married, perhaps they could learn from Xiaobao with money.
But when they saw the wedding, they were all discouraged. No matter how much money they had, they couldn't buy the congratulations of the entire Great Tang. Even the Minister of Revenue, Wang Bei, had to set off firecrackers to celebrate. They knew that if they didn't give them face at this time, they would become mortal enemies, and the people of the Great Tang would take action.
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