After three rounds of drinking, everyone was drunk.
Although the terrain in Fengyou is relatively high, the surrounding flat land is particularly suitable for farming. Unlike Nanli, there is only one crop of wheat and rice every year, but it is sweet and mellow. The wine brewed in this way is naturally better than ordinary autumn grain wine. The energy rushed to the throat even more. The neatly dressed merchant man and Li Wuji were both good drinkers. A whole jar of wine went into their stomachs, and they felt that they were not very clear-headed and a little top-heavy.
Several merchants accompanying the man looked at each other in confusion. They all didn't know whether Zhang Honglou, who was sitting firmly in the second position of the Zhang family, was selling dumb medicine or good medicine in the gourd, so they had to force themselves down to drink a few glasses of wine.
"I had a great time drinking this time. It seems that I, Li Wuji, have underestimated the world's merchants on weekdays. I always feel that this business is based on words. If you are eloquent, you may not be able to drink in a down-to-earth manner. I only talk about being drunk today, not talking about it. Money is expensive, but it seems that I am narrow-minded." Li Wuji smiled, obviously drunk, raised his glass and stood up, walked to Zhang Honglou, slowly raised his glass and said, "Fengyou County merchants, only Xiongtai can be called I have the right temper, so I will drink this cup."
Zhang Honglou struggled to raise his eyelids, his mind was already in a haze. He held his chest and stood up swaying, waving his hands repeatedly, "There is no way I can do it. A few years ago, when my body and bones were strong, I could risk my life to compensate, but now it is really impossible." Well, after drinking a jar of wine, my internal organs are tumbling. I am just trying not to show off my laughter. I am not as strong as Captain Li, so how can I drink again?"
At the banquet, the wine was flowing, and boasting at this time of year is often more useful than usual praise. Li Wuji was not exempt from this habit. He laughed, patted Zhang Honglou's shoulder with his big hand, and said with a grin: "It's too early to say that, look. My brother looks just like a man who has grown up, but he is still much older than me. If I were that age, I would not dare to say that I can drink better than my brother."
Zhang Honglou laughed loudly when he heard this and almost arched his back. He finally suppressed his smile and replied slowly, "Compared to the head of the Zhang family, I am still younger. I am only thirty-two now. I am the same as the head of the Zhang family. In comparison, Chi has only grown a decade or two older, where did he get to be in his forties? He looks old and old, just because he has traveled a lot on the rivers and lakes, and the wind and rain have scraped his flesh with a steel knife."
Several people around were almost drunk, and no one spoke to them. The two simply sat down across from each other to drink together, pushing cups and changing cups, their ears and eyes gradually dimmed. Zhang Honglou's face was not red after drinking. His face was originally fair, but after drinking enough alcohol, it became even more pale. Li Wuji's face was originally dark, but now it showed a little red. The two were very different from each other when they were drunk, but they were talking to each other at this moment. joyous.
Zhang Honglou put down his cup and sighed, "Brother, do you know that the idea of using honey as a substitute for wine comes from the business of being a merchant?"
Li Wuji shook his head. Although he said nothing, he still filled a glass of wine for Zhang Honglou and pushed it in front of the latter. He propped his arms on the edge of the table and looked up with drunken eyes.
"We all know that wine bars are the best place to discuss business. Firstly, the smell of alcohol floods into the mind, making it difficult to think about profits and losses. Secondly, after drinking, many people always feel that money is just an external possession. Even if they lose a little, since If you feel comfortable drinking this time, you can give in to the people at the same table without hurting your roots. All your usual calculations and cunning thoughts will be forgotten, and only your heroic spirit will shine through." Zhang Honglou was already a little confused, and stretched out his hand one after another. Three of them actually didn't hold the cup. They reluctantly wrinkled their foreheads and raised their eyebrows before taking the cup into their hands, squinting their eyes and speaking again.
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"But even so, there are still merchants who are not good at drinking. They use honey water instead of wine, which seems very insincere. In other words, they don't regard the people sitting with them as their relatives and friends. This kind of people are the most excluded at the banquet. "
Li Wuji nodded and said vaguely, "That's true. People like this can't be said to be here for profit. Even if it's just a gathering of two or three friends, it's hard to do it again. Everyone knows this person's character and most of them will leave. .”
"I have an old friend who followed me into the business world in the past. His body has been weak since he was a child and he cannot drink much alcohol. But since he is a businessman, there are definitely many banquets, so he has to endure the discomfort in his stomach and drink with others, which hurts his health. It affects the spleen and stomach." The words didn't stop and the wine kept flowing. Zhang Honglou drank another glass and said with a wry smile, "In the past two years, I had to drink honey instead of wine. At first, I didn't know that this old friend was terminally ill, and I was a little bit disappointed. I can't afford it. But one day I met him at a banquet. Looking from a distance, he looked thin and old. He was obviously only two months older than me, but his skin was as yellow as old wax. How could he be seen standing tall? The appearance of the year.”
"This man was holding a cup of honey water, sitting on the outermost side of the banquet, and drank all the honey water in one gulp."
Zhang Honglou's words suddenly turned soft. "Who knows how many drinks were poured into a weak body in the past few years to make the young man who was originally as graceful as a king, waving his hands and writing in the school, fall into this state."
"Traveling is not easy. In many professions, one may appear to have fine clothing and fine food, and enjoy wealth and honor that no one can bear. However, there are many calculations behind the scenes, betrayal of morality and righteousness, and bitter wine that erodes the spleen."
Li Wuji was also speechless and drank a glass of wine.
There are not many good trades in the world, and if you want to do a good job in one, it is even more difficult than climbing to the sky. The hardships involved are no better than fishing for thousands of gold in the rivers and bays, or searching for the old dragon in the cold ponds. Such things are difficult for Li Wuji It seems that it is indeed unadulterated.
"Speaking of which, brother, would you like to listen to me?" Zhang Honglou struggled to straighten his body, "Originally, it is better not to talk about big things during the banquet, but no matter how much I think about it, it will be beneficial to the caravan. Since I have to talk about it, Let’s face it, businessmen like me and others must know what’s appropriate no matter what.”
"Let's talk about it," Li Wuji, who was very drunk, shook his body and smiled, "I have said it clearly, how can I not make people hold it in their hearts?"
Zhang Honglou nodded and said with a confused expression: "The money earned by the shops in Fengyou County from the horse gang is less than one-tenth of the original amount. When I came on this trip, I had no intention of taking the shops back into my hands. If the businesses in the county are gone, at least we can stretch our hands elsewhere. With just a few stores, it’s hard to damage the roots.”
"But the foundation of the caravan is not as strong as that of the merchants. If the profit is not as good as the day, in a few years, I am afraid that it will be taken over by the merchants in the city. If you really want long-term peace and stability and continuous profits, you really need some energy. Only when Yu Shang Dao's personnel go to make some adjustments and get rid of the original shabby place can the business of this county be revived."
"Most of the shopkeepers who used to be in the shops are now unemployed. If Brother Li is willing to speak out, why not let these shopkeepers go to shops in various places alone and slowly arrange them, so that the gang members can buy more property every year."
Although Li Wuji was drunk, he could not stop thinking about it after hearing the words. He pondered for a long time, drank half of the jar of new wine, and couldn't keep his eyes fixed.
Zhang Honglou never stopped drinking, but he looked at the rough man in front of him with a clear expression.
