In Wei Bancheng's study, let's call it study.
There wasn't actually a book inside, just a Taishi chair, a big mahogany table, some antiques on the Duobao Pavilion behind it, and some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, which embellished it a bit.
Just arty.
There are four additional chairs placed opposite each other, with the two chairs in the middle placed side by side. There are small tables placed between the chairs. This is where guests sit and drink tea.
Wei Bancheng sat in the main seat, Yang Fan sat next to him, and there was another man wearing a scribe's robe sitting at the bottom.
This man was thin and somewhat hunchbacked. About forty years old.
He has high cheekbones, seemingly no flesh on his cheeks, a pair of mouse eyes, a goatee on his chin, his small eyes are sparkling, and he has a somewhat sinister temperament.
Wei Bancheng introduced that it was his master Ruan Zhuqing, a scholar.
Yang Fan curled his lips inwardly. He didn't know if his real name was Zhuqing. If he remembered correctly, he was a small but very poisonous green snake.
Yang Fan said what he said to the little fat man again, and he did not hide anything about the subsequent incident. To be honest, the little fat man knew it anyway, and he would know everything when asked later.
"Actually, I just have better luck. It's nothing special," Yang Fan said modestly.
The master's ears obviously perked up when he heard him mention Tushan and his daughter. The way he looks at himself has also changed a lot.
Five horses, four heads, four pairs of armor, weapons, and silver. This is not a small fortune. Dongchang's gossip is enough to calm this green snake. If he gets impulsive, he will not treat everyone. alright.
"Brother, how old are my elder brothers? If you don't dislike me, how about we behave like brothers?" Wei Bancheng seemed to be very upright and cosmopolitan, but his eyesight was shrewd, which showed that there was a subtlety in this person.
"Then I've overstepped my bounds. Brother Wei thinks highly of me, and I can't get what I want." Yang Fan said.
"Hahaha, why should my brother be so polite? I don't know what my future plans are now that I have left the world. As long as I, Wei, can do my best, I will do my best."
Yang Fan understood that he was a person of unknown origin and was involved with Dongchang. This was not something he could do with a wealthy man like Wei Bancheng. There were too many shady things in the local power.
Wei Bancheng wanted to simply return the favor and make good friends. As long as his demands are not excessive, Wei Bancheng should be able to satisfy them.
"When I first enter the world of society, I must have an identity. I wonder if Brother Wei has any friends in the government who can help me register a household in Zunhua."
"That's no problem, it's a trivial matter and nothing," Wei Bancheng said.
Yang Fan thought about it, and it seemed that this was too small a job. He had to find someone bigger to trouble Brother Wei, so that both of them could feel at ease.
I found a total of more than sixty taels of silver from these Tatars. I need to buy at least a house or a shop in Zunhua and solve the problem of food first.
Yang Fan comes from the countryside and knows how to do farm work, but he has too little money to buy land. I asked the little fat man that one acre of dry land cannot harvest five buckets of rice a year. It has been cold in the past two years and there have been consecutive droughts, making the output even worse. , it is becoming increasingly pitiful, and just one acre of land costs three taels of silver.
Planting on dry land may result in loss of money.
If it is irrigated land or good land with canals for irrigation, the price will rise all of a sudden. This kind of land has a guaranteed harvest despite droughts and floods, so it is very popular and no one is willing to sell it.
At least ten taels.
Paddy fields are more expensive because rice is highly productive, with yields generally reaching two to three quintals per mu. If wheat and rice are harvested twice, the yield per mu can reach four to five quintals.
No one is selling this kind of land. In a dark society like the late Ming Dynasty, even good land without background power cannot be maintained. Instead, it brings trouble to oneself.
Moreover, Yang Fan understood how heavy the burden was on farmers in the late Ming Dynasty, and it was better to leave a promising career like farming to others.
"I want to build a blacksmith shop in the city. I have the strength and can forge iron. I can also recruit a few apprentices to make some daily necessities. I can settle down first."
"Our Zunhua is the city of steel in the north of the Ming Dynasty. People in this city are basically engaged in iron-related industries. This is also a way out. How about this? I have a blacksmith shop in the northeast corner of the city. Back then, I came here to pay off debts, and I didn't have time to take care of it, so I was half-dead. There was also a small iron mine on a hill outside the city, and there were forty-five households of slaves. It turned out to be a craftsman's shop, and the original owner moved it together with the blacksmith shop. Everyone who comes here has a personal deed and is given to Brother Yang." Wei Bancheng said.
"Why are you so embarrassed? It's better to ask the elder brother to make a price, and the younger brother can buy it," Yang Fan declined.
"Hahaha, your eldest brother, my family has a big business. I own one-third of the shops in this city. The Sa family is a rough man. He doesn't have the patience to do small businesses. Many businesses cannot be managed well. If they are not managed well, they are half dead. If you still lose money every year, just give it to my brother as a way to share my worries. Besides, you saved and sent back my only son. This is the benefactor of my Wei family, a blacksmith shop and a small mine are nothing."
"No, no, absolutely no." Yang Fan declined.
"Brother, do you think you look down on me, Old Wei, or think this gift is too light?" Wei Bancheng pretended to be angry.
This was a bit half-truth. Yang Fan knew that Wei Bancheng didn't want to owe any favors, and he would be annoying if he kept saying it.
"Brother Wei is very open-minded, and my brother has nothing to say, so just do what he wants," Yang Fan said happily.
"Okay, your brother, I, Old Wei, have decided to hand it over."
That night, Wei Bancheng hosted a banquet for Yang Fan. The guests and hosts had a great time. The stewards and shopkeepers of the Wei family came to propose a toast.
Yang Fan drank very well and was able to walk back to the dormitory by himself in the end.
Wei Bancheng got a little drunk and staggered back.
It was late at night, and Wei Bancheng was lying on the bed with a tired look on his face. Next to him lay his wife, Mrs. Lin. Her face was flushed, her eyebrows were springy, her face was radiant, her peach-blossom eyes were almost dripping with water, and she held his arm charmingly.
Today we found our only son. They were both very happy and in high spirits. They worked hard until the third watch.
"Master, I think that boy has a calm temperament, a strong physique, and a thoughtful mind. He is quite a character. We don't have such a talent in our family, so you don't want to recruit him."
"Huh, I'm a woman, what do you know? This kid's origins are unknown, his character is unknown, and he's ruthless. How dare you bring him home? Even though we saved Fugui this time, we won't treat him badly. Anyway, we'll make good friends first. .I can’t see through this person, so I still have to take a look.”
"Hmph, don't you brag to me all day long. How great are you? Why did you defeat this one? How did you defeat that one? You're a little boy who doesn't even have all his hair. You're timid. I think you're a tortoise. , Bah, shrinking turtle."
"Madam, that boy is involved with Dongchang and Jinyiwei. There are so many things going on in our family that we can't even cover up, so we have to get involved with those people."
"Madam, let's not talk about that boy."
"Bah, damn ghost"
The clouds cover the moon and the night is deep.
Yang Fan couldn't sleep.
On the second night after coming to this world, there were too many reveries.
I have settled down for the time being, and I don’t know when I can go back.
Hey, let's make peace with it now.
He let out a long sigh.
