"Mutton again? Hmm! It smells so good!"
“Eat slowly and eat more!”
At the dinner table, Di Jin could still pay attention to his eating posture at first, but he had just practiced Kang Long Mace for half an hour. He was more tired than usual, and he picked up the chopsticks faster and faster.
Di Xiangling held her chin and looked at him with a smile.
Since ancient times, there has been a saying that the poor in literature and the rich in martial arts. In fact, before the Song Dynasty, studying literature required a family or a wealthy family to support it. Practicing martial arts was even more difficult to get from poverty. There was not enough meat and nutrition, so one could only rely on youth. If you just fight hard, you won't be able to practice real kung fu at all.
Di Jin, on the other hand, is strong and strong, and can use heavy maces without any difficulty. This is precisely because he has had plenty of meat to eat during the years he has grown up, and he also has good skills in exercising his strength, which has laid a solid foundation.
However, the training requirements for Kanglong Mace are obviously much higher than those in the past. After training, I have a great appetite, so the staple food for these two days has been replaced by a large bowl of mutton.
Di Jin ate half a bowl, and the hunger in his belly eased a little, and he suddenly said: "Sister, change it to pork. You can buy a few more kilograms every day..."
"Sixth brother has really grown up..." Di Xiangling's heart warmed up, but her big eyes widened, and she patted the table lightly: "Pork is cheap meat. If word spreads, how can I, Di Shiyi Niang, still be established in Bingzhou?" ?”
Di Jin smiled bitterly. He actually couldn't stand the fishy smell of pork in this era. It was not unreasonable to be regarded as cheap meat, but he still asked: "Our family only has three meals a day, and the price of mutton is ten times that of pork." If you eat mutton for every meal, your money won’t last long..."
The Ouyang Chun and Zhan Zhao we talked about before are just distant legends. The key now is money.
Di Jin has always believed that it is unrealistic to talk about making progress when one can barely make ends meet.
It’s not that I don’t want to, I really don’t have the energy to spare.
It’s been so hard to survive, how could there be a chance to change one’s class?
I used to copy novels because I wanted to make money without relying on outsiders.
It's a pity that it failed, and it also proved that there were not many serious ways to make money in ancient times, even in the Song Dynasty, which had unprecedented economic prosperity.
Di Xiangling's tone softened: "Money at home is not something you should worry about. You can practice martial arts, go to school, or rush for the imperial examination. My sister has prepared money for you, so don't worry!"
"I don't want my sister to be a Voldemort..." Di Jin muttered, lowered his head and started eating the second bowl of mutton.
Although he takes care of his family's money, he will not deliberately save money to make it difficult for him to make ends meet.
You can't get real money by cutting expenditures, you have to increase revenue.
"Gudu!" Di Xiangling saw that he was eating well, swallowed his saliva, and without being polite, stood up, filled another bowl of rice, stretched out his chopsticks, and joined in.
The two siblings were in a hurry when a rapid knock on the door came: "Dong-dong-dong! Dong-dong-dong!"
Di Xiangling put down his chopsticks and said in a tone that was not yet fully satisfied: "The rest is yours. I'm going to meet guests, so I'll have to cook two more bowls at night... Calculated this way, it's really not enough..."
The sister walked away chattering, and Di Jin ate the remaining meat piece by piece, his eyes becoming more determined: "This imperial examination must be in high school. Once you have the status of a Jinshi, making money to support the family will no longer be a worry. "
After putting away the dishes and washing them with water in the basin, Di Jin returned to the study, started reading, and quickly immersed himself in it.
The book has its own golden house.
"Isn't it over yet?"
After reviewing for more than an hour, Di Jin walked out of the study, went to the latrine to pay the water bill, stretched his muscles, and looked at the front yard.
When Di Xiangling met with guests in the past, the process was always three times, five times five times two, and the conversation was finished in less than a quarter of an hour. This time it took too long.
He thought for a moment and walked towards the front yard.
From a distance, I saw a well-dressed old man saying goodbye. Behind him stood a burly man, but it was the same man I saw in the alley when he returned home from ancestor worship.
Seeing Di Jin appear, the old man stopped talking, clasped his fists, and bowed deeply: "Please, Di Shiniang!"
Di Xiangling hurriedly said: "Mo Lao has offended me, I will do my best on this matter!"
The old man and the man bowed to this side again, then turned and left. Di Xiangling walked to the door, silent and seemed a little troubled.
Di Jin came to his sister's side and asked softly: "Who are these two people?"
Di Xiangling said: "Mr. Mo is the elder of the Lei family, and the other one is Lei Jiu, a servant trained by Lei Huhu. His martial arts skills are not bad."
"Thunder Tiger...Idhu people..."
Di Jin subconsciously thought of that festive character, accompanied by the devilish mantra, but then he thought that Bingzhou does have such a number one figure: "The leader of the five guilds, the wealthy Lei Biao?"
"That's him!" Di Xiangling nodded: "Ms. Lei was kidnapped. A large ransom was paid, but she failed to come back. She wanted to ask me to find the thief and save her. She even promised me early that she could bring his daughter back. Those who are rescued alive will be rewarded with three thousand gold coins..."
"Kidnapping!"
Di Jin's heart skipped a beat. Looking at his sister's complicated expression, he guessed: "Aside from remuneration, is there any other reason why you are so entangled?"
After a moment of silence, Di Xiangling sighed and said: "That's right! Mr. Mo helped me back then, and I have long wanted to repay this favor. It's just about other things. It's really useless to save Mrs. Lei. I have no clue... Lei Hu is really anxious this time and is looking for any way. He is still sitting in the state office and has already alarmed the punishment envoy. I am afraid that both the county magistrate and the county lieutenant are worried now!"
"No wonder the county lieutenant is not on duty at the Yamen, but is solving crimes on the street!"
Di Jin thought of Pan Chengju, the county lieutenant who used the method of using copper coins and oil flowers to administer justice on the street. He grinned and asked, "How many days has Miss Lei been missing?"
"Seven days!" Di Xiangling obviously gave up hope: "People are in danger..."
Di Jin frowned and agreed: "The longer the time goes by, the slimmer the chance of recovery becomes, but determining life and death will finally give the loved ones some peace of mind..."
Di Xiangling's expression changed and he fell silent.
After a little foreshadowing, Di Jin got to the point: "Sister, how about I help you?"
Di Xiangling came back to his senses and glanced sideways at his younger brother: "You have never participated in Jianghu affairs, but this time you took the initiative to help. Could it be that you are interested in Thunder Tiger's reward?"
"Yes, return the favor, earn rewards, kill two birds with one stone, why not do it?"
Di Jin was very calm: "It costs money to practice martial arts and eat meat, and it also costs money to take the imperial examination in Beijing. If you can get a reward of three thousand guan, the financial pressure will be basically relieved."
"But Thunder Tiger is not easy to make money!"
Di Xiangling's tone was rare and solemn: "This wealthy businessman made his fortune by doing business with the Xia people. He is also a licker of blood. He has a group of gangsters and desperadoes under his command!"
The Xia people are the people of Xiazhou, that is, the Xixia Dangxiang people in history.
Although the founding emperor of Xixia was Li Yuanhao, when it comes to the history of the rise of Xixia, we basically start with his grandfather Li Jiqian. The three generations of ancestors and the Song and Liao Dynasties were entangled in each other, surrendering and fighting, and fighting and surrendering.
Now that Li Jiqian is dead, the person in power of the Xia people is his son Li Deming. This person attacked Tubo and Uighurs in the west, planned the Hexi Corridor, and continued to expand his power. However, he was ostensibly attached to the Song Dynasty and had a respectful attitude. Therefore, there was a severe drought in Xixia. , Song also assisted Li Deming in disaster relief.
At that time, Zhao Heng, Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, was engaged in the trance of the gods from the Book of Heaven and the enshrinement of Zen in Mount Tai. He did not want to fight at all. He naively preached benevolence and righteousness, but he was feeding the tiger to trouble, leaving a big hole for his son Renzong.
However, from the perspective of the people, the Xia people under Li Deming's rule were indeed at peace with the Song people. The trade between the two parties increased rapidly, and the official market could not satisfy it for a long time. A large number of business opportunities emerged among the people. Lei Biao was the merchant who had the most contacts with Xiazhou, and if he wanted to suppress those party barbarians, he would have to have some force at his disposal.
Following his sister's narration, Di Jin has basically understood the situation of the wealthy businessman whose daughter was kidnapped, and began to analyze: "With great wealth and many people under his command, he has to pay three thousand guan in reward, which shows how difficult it is... But change it to another one. Considering the perspective, this kidnapping case actually does not require full credit."
"Miss Lei has been missing for seven days. Lei Hu's biggest wish is definitely that his daughter comes back safely, the second is to catch the kidnappers, and the last is to find the body after she is killed..."
"Based on the information obtained from the investigation, we can also make a choice, whether to rescue Mrs. Lei, find the whereabouts of the thief, or inform us that unfortunately, my sister has repaid Mr. Mo's old favor. As for the reward of three thousand guan, can we It’s best to get it, don’t force it…”
Di Xiangling's face became soothed as he listened: "That's the truth. How are you going to check it?"
"I'm afraid there will be omissions, so I'll write them down first."
Di Jin thought for a moment, then returned to the study. He quickly wrote down the key points on the paper and handed it over: "Sister, you first use your contacts in the world to find out these things."
"Easy! I'll come back as soon as I go!"
Di Xiangling took it, glanced at it a few times, and walked out of the door in a hurry.
After watching his sister disappear, Di Jin went back to the study. While thinking about what kind of kidnapper could make the local gangsters helpless, he randomly picked out a book from the bookshelf. When he got it, he saw that it was "The Biography of Su Wuming" written by himself. .
Thinking of the expectations of the boy in the bookstore and the characters in his novels who are persistent in seeking the truth and never regretting it, Di Jin gently put down the book: "Ashamed! I am not a detective, and I am not that great. I don't investigate the case for the truth, I just want to solve the case." It’s just money…”
