From Liang Chuan's point of view, the Zheng family's family banquet can be said to be quite sumptuous. No wonder the common people hate the saying that the wine and meat of the rich family smells stinky, and the roads are frozen to death. The Zheng family still feels that there is no food to eat, and the tenant farmers and refugees outside the high wall are still worried about tomorrow's meal.
This is the same era, the same environment in different eras.
After Liang Chuan came to this world, he visited Zheng Zuliang's mansion in Xinghua, Zheng Yiqian's mansion in Fengshan, and even lived in a thatched cottage in the countryside. He has tasted the taste of millet porridge and the sweetness of crystal shrimp.
Most people in this era may not have the chance to taste the delicious tiger shrimp after working hard all their lives, not because they don't work hard, but because the opportunities given to them in this era are too unequal.
The vicious cycle of poverty caused the children of sheepherders to raise sheep. Liang Chuan sometimes thought that when he arrived in this world, he longed to see this world that he had never seen before, and there were too many ties around him, and there were so many people who were reluctant to let go. , they have also never really seen the world. They just try hard to live and just want to survive without thinking about what life is.
Today, I am someone else's guest. I eat and drink well, but that doesn't make sense. He seemed to feel that he had a burden on his shoulders to support these people and live a good life together.
Zheng Zuliang couldn't sit still when he heard the word "cane sugar" during the dinner. He felt vaguely that this matter must not be simple, but he did not say it directly in front of so many people.
He also had another thing to do, the Lantern Festival was coming in half a month, and he had the opportunity to sit with Liang Chuan on the first day of the new year to thank him for his previous kindness, but Li Chengfu failed to seize the opportunity to repay his kindness.
Li Chengfu, the leader of Xinghua, made great contributions to wiping out the bandits in Dafu Mountain. From the beginning to the end, Li Chengfu didn't even let go, so he gained a huge credit in vain. The huge pie directly knocked this rough man unconscious. Now his status in the county is vaguely higher than that of Wu Huzi. Several county bosses did not even take a second look at his existence. Now that he is out of the house The government office will take Li Chengfu with him, a capable person, and several people in the county are trying to win over him.
After eating, several people sat in the main hall. The Taishi chair in the hall is very comfortable to sit on. There is a cotton cushion on the chair. Although this chair is just made up of a few wooden strips, the wisdom of the ancients is really impressive. The chair does not feel uncomfortable at all, but is very ergonomic. , sitting and leaning on it, the waist will not be sore.
The maid served tea. The tea was like the Tusu wine. There were broken tea leaves in the tea. Liang Chuan was not used to drinking. Modern people have to install a tea filter to filter out the residue in the tea. The more impurities, the less skillful they are. This is the difference in concepts. The trend changes every year, let alone the difference of nearly a thousand years.
Li Chengfu asked Zheng Zuliang to tell Liang Chuan that he must go to Xinghua during the Lantern Festival, when the county magistrate would hold a lantern festival. Li Chengfu was fortunate enough to be invited to attend, so he wanted to take this opportunity to let Liang Chuan see that thanks to Liang Chuan, he was now able to get ahead. While drinking tea, Zheng Zuliang said to Liang Chuan: "Brother Liang Chuan, during the Lantern Festival in a few days, Zheng Dutou invites you to go to Xinghua for a small gathering. The magistrate has hosted a lantern festival, and Zheng Dutou invites you to come with him. Go have some fun.”
The lantern festival in the county town suddenly made a few girls excited. There were so few entertainment activities in ancient times that they were fascinated when they saw Liang Chuan playing the huqin on the streets of Fengshan. Why the ancient Shangyuan Festival is more important than the Lantern Festival in people's hearts is also because there is something to play! Dazzling lanterns, various juggling activities, and having something to eat during the New Year, the Lantern Festival is both something to eat and something to play.
Zheng Zuliang's daughter, Zheng Yuzhi, was a spoiled child. She didn't know how to be a needlewoman. She only knew how to eat, play, and dress up. When she heard about this interesting thing, she pestered her father and started acting coquettishly, asking: "Dad, I want to go to the lantern festival too." , Take me with you!" As he said, a hand began to wrap around Zheng Zuliang's arm.
Zheng Zuliang slapped Zheng Yu's sesame-tangled hand away with one hand, and said angrily: "You are from a daughter's family. If you don't learn from your cousin, it would be a good thing to at least stay at home and read more poems and books. You can be seen outside all day long. Yes, your brother has been led astray by you!"
Zheng Yuzhi's hands hurt and she pursed her lips. Seeing that a farmer like Liang Chuan could go to the lantern festival, but she couldn't go because she was a daughter of a wealthy family, she felt quite unconvinced, but she knew his father's temper in speaking and doing things. , if you are stubborn with him, you are asking for trouble, so you stand beside your cousin Zheng Ruoying and lose your temper.
Zheng Ruoying also wanted to see the excitement, but she couldn't explain why they would show up at a gathering of big shots in the county. If her cousin has a little temper, she won't show it on her face. If she can solve the problem by losing her temper, it will be easier to handle. She glanced at Liang Chuan, there was nothing she could do!
Liang Chuan, on the other hand, seemed indifferent when he heard about the lantern festival. He was fidgeting with the tea cup in his hand, and the tea lid picked up the tea foam on the brown tea. Although there was a lot of dregs in the tea, the fragrance of the tea filled the heart and mind. He had just finished eating the big fish and meat. , drink a sip of tea to relieve tiredness, and feel comfortable!
As for the lantern festival, what’s so good about that bullshit lantern festival? After the Spring Festival Gala in later generations, there were people singing and dancing, and all kinds of tricks were innovated every year. He couldn't stand it anymore. What's more, this bullshit lantern festival was not just about guessing lantern riddles. If not, it was just a stage for people to sing. , someone sang a song, which was very boring.
"Is it okay if I don't go? It's the New Year and my house is almost finished. It's not an option to be idle every day. I also have a career to pursue. I'm busy socializing with you every day, drinking, eating, and watching lantern festivals. , isn’t this a waste of time!”
Wasting time?
Everyone, including Zheng Yiqian, looked at Liang Chuan like a fool. This word actually came out of this kid's mouth. I'm afraid this person is not a fool. He, Zheng Yiqian, is a top figure in Fengshan, but he has never even seen the face of the county magistrate. It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he doesn't have the qualifications. What kind of person is the county magistrate? Even Zheng Zuliang Without getting an official position, for people like them, they are like Wenquxing.
Now the boss of the county invited him to watch the lantern festival, but he actually thought they were taking up his time! Career pursuit? You can go to heaven by renting a shop selling shrouds? Those who didn't know thought it was some rich man who was out of breath so much when he spoke so much.
"That's not okay. Although Zheng Futian made a huge profit from what happened last time, you were the one who caused it. In the end, it was Li Chengfu who helped you clean up. It cannot be said that you or he alone benefited. , I can only say that the two of you have contacts with each other. Besides, in my opinion, your house has just been built, and you will probably spend a short time in Fengshan, a small place, and get to know a few big shots. There are no disadvantages, only advantages. "Zheng Zuliang sipped the tea from his uncle's house and said a few words casually. It seemed that he was talking to himself in a calm manner, but sensible people would know that this was a sign of lowering his status. He was as humble as an elder. Follow Liang Chuan’s principle carefully.
Liang Chuan pondered for a long time and thought: "That's right. Officials have sharp eyes and see things clearly. Zheng Dutou is so generous to invite me, a peasant from the countryside. If he doesn't show his face, it's not like slapping others in the face and then subsidizing himself. Official Zheng , you turn around and meet Zheng Dutou, tell him that I will definitely go to the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival!"
"That's it, that's right." Zheng Zucheng took a sip of tea into his throat, his mouth full of fragrance, and put down the cup with satisfaction.
"I've been out for too long and it's getting late. It's time to go back." Liang Chuan patted his butt and planned to go home.
Zheng Yiqian didn't drink tea. He asked his servant to pour some wine and sipped it slowly. Seeing that Liang Chuan was about to leave, he said softly: "Go slowly, I won't see you off."
Zheng Zuliang also stood up after Liang Chuan and said, "Let me see you off."
Liang Chuan didn't pay attention to these red tapes. He had already left, so what else could he give as a gift? However, Zheng Zuliang was a person who attached great importance to etiquette. He insisted on sending Liang Chuan out of the hall and all the way to the door of Zheng's house.
Outside the door, Zheng Zuliang suddenly asked Zhang: "Brother Liang Chuan, there is something I don't know whether to ask or not."
"Officials only ask questions."
The expression on Zheng Zuliang's face was solemn, and he looked at Liang Chuan firmly with his eyes and asked: "Brother Liang Chuan, I know that you have great talent in your belly. You do not stick to the rules and regulations, and your vision and knowledge are all top-notch. You know If you are not under my control, I would venture to guess that you and Ruoying are planting sugar cane by the Nanxi River for fun or for eating!"
Hey, why did Zheng Zuliang suddenly talk about this and asked: "Of course it's not to eat sugar cane. You can just buy sugar cane on the street. Why grow it yourself? To play? Haha, I can't even eat enough, so where can I think about it?" Play, besides, I have made a contract with your niece. There is no ending in life, so you are not a gentleman. A real man is hard to catch, so you can’t lie to a woman no matter what."
Zheng Zuliang asked tentatively: "I have been to Yangzhou, where gold is everywhere. There are silk merchants, salt merchants, grain merchants, tea merchants with goods worth thousands of gold, and sugar merchants with goods worth thousands of gold. They grow sugar cane and then use secret Use the method to make sugar water and make granulated sugar! If my guess is correct, you should also prepare to make granulated sugar!"
Liang Chuan's mouth opened slightly, but before he could speak, Zheng Zuliang continued: "Ten thousand households in Bianliang City are luxurious, but less than one in ten thousand can touch this thing. The large amount of sugar is not enough for the officials to enjoy alone, and even more Don’t talk about mediocre people. I’m talking about Brother Liang Chuan, is this really the way to compare goods with gold?”
Liang Chuan looked at Zheng Zuliang's firm eyes. He was worthy of being the number one businessman in Xinghua. When he heard the wind, he knew it was rain. When he heard it was sugar cane, he knew it was sugar production. He was unambiguous and said directly: "Yes!"
