Knowing that Mr. Zhu and Bai Jiaxuan had returned to their original location, Zhou Qiang and others also left.
Zhu Bai and Xiancao were riding in a carriage driven by Lu San.
Zhou Qiang was riding in Lu Zilin's carriage.
Several people returned to the original place together.
The car was a gift for Mr. Zhu, but Zhu Bai confiscated it.
Although Zhu Bai had little money, he had been living a hard life. But I just don’t want the gift from Governor Zhang.
Lu Zilin was greedy and wanted those gifts, but no one gave them to him.
On a donkey cart.
"Xiaoqiang, let me ask you, last time at Widow Li's house, you won everything. Did you do something wrong?" Lu Zilin was still worried about losing money last time.
"Brother Zilin, what nonsense are you talking about?
When we were gambling, you and Sang Laoba and the others were causing trouble. Do you think I don’t know?
I just saw through your mischief and won them all. "
"Oh, that's it." Lu Zilin nodded, puffed on his pipe, and thought for a moment, "That's not right!
Xiaoqiang, when we bet for the first time, we didn’t do any mischief. Why did you win? "
"Then I don't know. Anyway, they are all good cards. It's hard not to win." It was the first time I bet with Lu Zilin and others. At the beginning, Lu Zilin didn't do anything wrong, and Zhou Qiang didn't do anything either. Winning was all about luck. .
Later, Lu Zilin caused trouble, and Zhou Qiang followed suit, but Zhou Qiang won.
Lu Zilin frowned and puffed on his pipe a few more times, "No, Xiaoqiang, we have to play again.
This time, we won't do any tricks, let's see if you can still win. "
Lu Zilin was not convinced by the defeat and wanted to try again.
"Brother Zilin, what if you lose this time?
Another fight?
Last time, Sang Lao’s eight front teeth fell out. You don’t want your front teeth this time either? "Zhou Qiang smiled with a smile on his face when he spoke, showing his white teeth.
"What are you talking about? Am I the kind of person who can't afford to lose? As long as you don't cause trouble, you will lose if you lose. That's because you are lucky." Lu Zilin spoke sharply and spoke happily.
"Brother Zilin, I'm not looking down on you, but can you still spend a lot of money?" Zhou Qiang despised Lu Zilin for having no money.
"Who are you looking down on? Look, what is this?" Lu Zilin still had several pieces of ocean on him.
"So many oceans? Where did they come from?"
"You have nothing to do with this. If you keep playing at Widow Li's house tomorrow night, I don't believe you can always win."
"Okay." Zhou Qiang agreed, feeling happy and thinking, "I just emptied my family's money, and there are people rushing to give me money."
The journey was uneventful.
Zhou Qiang went home and fell asleep. They traveled all night.
After dawn.
It didn't take long.
Village entrance.
A group of people were waiting for Bai Jiaxuan and Mr. Zhu.
Without Zhou Qiang, Zhou Qiang was busy grinding tofu.
Not long after, Mr. Zhu and Bai Jiaxuan came back.
"Jiaxuan!" Xiancao couldn't help but ran over. The heart she had been holding on to was released.
There was a person following Xiancao.
A crazy young man named Erdou.
Erdou quickly overtook the fairy grass and ran away happily.
It can be seen that idiot Erdou is very happy.
Bai Jiaxuan also ran towards the fairy grass.
The two couldn't help but hug each other.
"Jiaxuan is hugging his wife." Lu Zilin laughed at Bai Jiaxuan in the crowd.
Everyone was looking at Bai Jiaxuan and Xiancao, but Widow Li looked at Lu Zilin with a smile, not knowing what she was thinking of.
Zhu Bai also stepped forward quickly, and when passing by Bai Jiaxuan and Xiancao, she reminded them, "Be gentle, be gentle, she is still pregnant with the baby."
Mrs. Zhu Bai did not hug Mr. Zhu, but just talked.
Bai Jiaxuan and Xiancao each took out a pack of snacks, which they were reluctant to eat and left for each other.
In the distance, Erdou shouted happily.
Bai Jiaxuan is back and Er Dou is very happy.
Erdou is a bit silly.
Whoever treats him well, he smiles at.
Er Dou was the happiest to see Bai Jiaxuan back. It shows that Bai Jiaxuan is usually good to Erdou.
Bai Jiaxuan's treatment of the weak reflects his benevolence and righteousness.
This is much better than Lu Zilin.
This is why Bai Jiaxuan can be the clan leader, but Lu Zilin cannot.
night.
Widow Li's house.
Lu Zilin and others have already arrived.
Zhou Qiang didn't come for a long time.
"Zilin, will Zhou Qiang come yet?" Sang Lao's eight front teeth have not been repaired yet, so his words are a bit leaky.
"I said I would come, but why haven't you come yet?" Lu Zilin was also a little impatient in waiting.
"Zilin, are we really not cheating this time?" another person asked.
"Stop playing around. We lost last time because Zhou Qiang saw through it. This time, we'll just rely on luck to see if we can win."
"What if we still lose?" Sang Laoba asked.
"If he still loses, it means Zhou Qiang is lucky and won't play tricks on him in the future."
"Zilin, how about we punish Zhou Qiang this time?" Sang Laoba wanted to take revenge. He was beaten badly by Zhou Qiang last time.
"You still want to be beaten? How many more teeth do you want to lose?" Lu Zilin had no nice words. He likes to use his brain, not his hands.
"A few of us are lying in ambush here to hold Zhou Qiang down while it's dark. I don't believe he can survive." Sang Lao didn't finish his words.
"What else can you do?" Zhou Qiang answered, "What's wrong? Is the skin itchy again? Or are there too many teeth?"
"Xiaoqiang, why are you here? Come on, come and sit." Lu Zilin changed the subject.
"I just ground the tofu, and I have to change the tofu tomorrow."
"Why are you grinding tofu? Come on, I've been waiting for you for a while."
"You want to give me money again?" Zhou Qiang smiled and started betting with Lu Zilin and others.
First handful.
Zhou Qiang won.
"Why did you win again?" Lu Zilin looked strange.
"I don't know either. It's a good card if you grab it. It doesn't matter if you don't win." Zhou Qiang smiled. He really wasn't causing any trouble, it was just luck.
"Let's change places." Lu Zilin said.
Zhou Qiang looked indifferent: "Okay."
Then, in the second round, Zhou Qiang won again.
"No, Xiaoqiang, are you causing trouble?" Lu Zilin looked suspicious.
"Brother Zilin, you can't say this nonsense. The place you chose, the cards are also yours, how can I cause trouble?"
Lu Zilin looked at Zhou Qiang suspiciously, then continued his bet.
In the third round, Lu Zilin still lost.
He just stared at Zhou Qiang carefully and found nothing mischievous about Zhou Qiang.
"Brother Zilin, I can't help it. I'm lucky and I won again. Otherwise, let's forget it for today."
Lu Zilin frowned and said nothing. He lost several thousand dollars.
This money was brought with me for emergency use when I was preparing to escape from the military disaster.
The others didn't speak either.
They all stared at Zhou Qiang without blinking just now, not noticing anything wrong.
Zhou Qiang's victory can only be due to good luck.
It is not a pleasant thing to gamble with lucky people, only to lose money.
"Forget it. If you continue to gamble, you will lose everything and be in a hurry!" Zhou Qiang casually said a word, turned around and left.
"You" Sang Laoba wanted to call Zhou Qiang, but was stopped by others.
None of them wanted to gamble with Zhou Qiang. Because you can only lose but not win.
The following days returned to normalcy.
However, Zhou Qiang is even busier.
He would go to the provincial capital every few days to deliver wine and braised meat.
Zhou Qiang opened a wine shop in the provincial capital, selling not only wine but also braised pork.
Zhou Qiang raised a lot of pigs and chickens. He made braised pork and sold it in wine shops.
Business was not good at the beginning but not bad either.
I believe it will get better and better in the future, because Zhou Qiang’s wine is not bad and his braised pork is very fragrant.
Zhou Qiang also has a shop.
This shop originally sold some mountain products.
Now, Zhou Qiang plans to sell some foreign goods.
Although he hired several people to do these things, Zhou Qiang still had a lot to do.
provincial capital.
A medium-sized house.
Similar to a courtyard house.
But it's just a courtyard with one entrance and one exit.
Zhou Qiang lives in the north wing.
Every time he comes to the provincial capital, he will stay here for a night or two.
Eating braised pork, drinking wine, and listening to work reports from his subordinates.
"Boss, when will the foreign goods shop open?" Lao Zhang asked. He is a disaster victim hired by Zhou Qiang. There are old ones at the top and young ones at the bottom.
Lao Zhang was very grateful to Zhou Qiang.
Zhou Qiang finally gave Lao Zhang a way out.
"How are you preparing the foreign goods?" Zhou Qiang asked casually while eating chicken wings.
"It's almost ready."
"Let's open today when everything is ready." Zhou Qiang forgot to spit out the bones, chewed them up, and swallowed them.
"okay!"
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, Zhou Qiang's foreign goods shop opened.
There are many people watching, but few people buying anything.
However, Zhou Qiang believes that business will get better.
After all, it is a foreign product. Everyone is rare and will buy it sooner or later when they save enough money.
In later generations, wouldn’t many people still go abroad to snap up foreign goods?
Foreign goods have always been very popular.
This is a good business, and it can last for hundreds of years.
Not long passed.
this day.
Someone from White Deer Academy is here.
Those who came were from the northwest.
There is a news.
Fang Sheng is gone.
After Mr. Zhu heard this, he was silent for a long time.
He also sang the poem, "Weicheng Morning Rain and Light Dust"
At the beginning, I was in the Qing army camp.
Mr. Zhu agreed to teach in Fang Sheng’s poor hometown.
Originally, Mr. Zhu was not in a hurry to go.
But now, Mr. Zhu has to go immediately.
Village entrance.
Zhu Bai's, Bai Jiaxuan, Xiancao, Lu San, send it to Mr. Zhu.
Zhou Qiang didn't come.
He has nothing to do with Mr. Zhu, so it would be inappropriate for him to come.
And Zhou Qiang is not in the village either. He is in the provincial capital, busy with business matters.
"We've seen you off for a long journey, but we have to say goodbye eventually. Let's all go back." Mr. Zhu set off with a simple baggage, just a small baggage.
"Don't forget to write a letter to report that you are safe." Zhu Bai said with a look of reluctance. But she couldn't follow. It seems that in this day and age, you don’t take your wife with you when you go out to teach.
"Remember it." Mr. Zhu smiled and nodded. Although he was reluctant to give up, his expression was under control.
"Brother-in-law, are you really going to go there for five years?" Bai Jiaxuan asked.
"I promised Fang Sheng."
"Then Fang Sheng is dead." Bai Jiaxuan was reluctant to leave Mr. Zhu.
"It's even more important for people to die. Don't you think so, brother?"
Bai Jiaxuan nodded. His braids had been cut off by Mr. Zhu.
Many people in the village have their pigtails cut off.
Times have changed, urging everyone to change.
However, the first person in Bailu Village to cut braids was Zhou Qiang.
Lu Zilin's braids haven't been cut yet.
Most of the people in the village who don’t have braids are from the older generation.
"Brother-in-law, we still have this piece of Jingxin Fu tea at home. There is more meat and less vegetables in the northwest. Just drink it." Bai Jiaxuan handed Mr. Zhu a brick of tea.
Mr. Zhu nodded and took it, looking at a few people with some reluctance, "Let's go, you can go back."
Mr. Zhu strode away.
The days passed.
Zhou Qiang's business is getting better and better.
The two shops in the provincial capital can earn dozens of yuan every month.
In fact, he can still earn more, but Zhou Qiang's wine and braised pork are limited and are sold out before noon every day.
Zhou Qiang was too lazy to do too much.
In a blink of an eye, it’s time to harvest the wheat.
Zhou Qiang was too busy, so he asked the villagers to help collect it.
There is plenty of food, wine, meat and tofu, and wages are also given.
People in the village praised Zhou Qiang for his ability.
Zhou Qiang is a young man, but it is already very impressive to be able to live like this.
After harvesting the wheat, it didn’t take long for everyone in the family who had a lot of grain to buy it in exchange for money.
this day.
Lu San came over and exchanged last year's old beans for tofu.
"Xiaoqiang, our young master asked me to ask you, do you want to sell grain?" When selling grain in the village, they usually combine the forces, pull a few large carts, and transport them to the county for sale.
"Selling grain?" Zhou Qiang was stunned, then smiled, "Third brother, my family makes wine. We don't sell grain, so we still have to buy it."
"What? Do you want to buy food? Then. How much do you want to buy it?"
“As long as the price is the same as the county price.
Come on, Third Brother, I’ll go find Brother Jiaxuan to discuss this.
The food in our village doesn’t need to be transported to the county to be sold. I buy it all. "Zhou Qiang took Lu San to Bai Jiaxuan's house.
It was dinner time at this time, and Zhou Qiang wanted to splash the noodles with oil made from grass jelly.
But, the grass jelly has a big belly, can it still be done?
Will Grandma Bai Zhao of Xiancao help?
"Buy them all? It takes three carts of grain, how can you buy them all?"
"Only three big cars? Not enough. Third brother, I have to trouble you to go to the nearby villages and ask. I plan to buy more food."
"What? Three big cars are not enough?" Lu San returned to Bai's house with a surprised look on his face.
"Xiaoqiang? Why are you here? Want to sell food?" Bai Jiaxuan asked.
"Xiaoqiang is here?" Xiancao was cooking.
Zhou Qiang and Bai Jiaxuan nodded and looked at Xiancao: "Sister-in-law, what are you cooking?"
"You-po noodles, would you like to eat them too?"
"Okay, sister-in-law, you can cut up some of this meat." Zhou Qiang didn't come empty-handed. He took a piece of pork, pig ears, and a small jar of wine.
The meat is cooked food, braised pork cooked by Zhou Qiang.
"Xiaoqiang, your braised meat is delicious." Xiancao was also polite.
"Xiaoqiang, do you want to buy food?" Bai Jiaxuan asked. When Zhou Qiang was talking to Xiancao, Lu San had already told Bai Jiaxuan that Zhou Qiang wanted to buy food.
"Yes, Brother Jiaxuan, how many carts of grain will our village sell?"
"About three cars, you can buy them all?"
"Yes, three cars are not enough. I have a lot of grain for brewing. I need to buy more while it's cheap now."
"How much can you buy?"
"At least ten cars." Zhou Qiang said a number calmly.
"Ten cars?" Bai Jiaxuan and Lu San were both stunned.
They didn't expect Zhou Qiang to buy so much grain. How much would it cost? !
"Yes, my family is going to dig a cellar specifically for storing food.
Brother Jiaxuan, who in our village is good at digging cellars? "
"Dig a cellar? That guy at the east end of the village is good at digging, and..." Bai Jiaxuan mentioned a few people.
"Okay, I'll dig them up later."
"Xiaoqiang, if you really want to buy so much grain, I will ask the third brother to go to other villages to ask, so as to save them from transporting the grain to the county."
"Okay, I just wanted Third Brother to ask."
"Then it's settled."
"deal."
"It's time to eat noodles!" Xiancao prepared the noodles.
Wine, meat, noodles, everyone's faces were shiny with food.
Not long.
Zhou Qiang's cellar has been dug.
Food was also bought.
Zhou Qiang continued to be busy making wine, making tofu and braised pork.
this day.
A piece of news came back from the county seat.
Many villages that went to the city to sell grain had their grain seized by soldiers.
The peaceful Bailuyuan was once again in turmoil.
(End of chapter)
