After not seeing Xia Dehai for several years, the rust on his body became heavier. His muscles and bones were as if they were made of copper, less ruffian and more majestic.
"My boss!" Xia Dehai saluted Liang Chuan. He had been following Yi Niang and Su Wei for a long time, and had come into contact with many people, so he learned a lot of etiquette.
Liang Chuan patted Xia Dehai on the shoulder and said, "It's been a hard journey!"
"My boss' words are serious. My life was taken away by the Sea Dragon King someday, but I met my boss and gave me a place to stay!"
"You've done a great job. I've heard what they said. You've made a lot of contributions to Nanyang in the past few years. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to make so much money!"
"Young mistress values the little ones, and there is no way to repay the little ones for all their troubles!"
"My home is the sea. The sea is unpredictable. I know this hardship. Getting on the ship means sacrificing one's life and abandoning everything. One day, as you said, Hai Longye needs to go patrolling the sea alone. You might as well greet us and leave. I have thanked you on behalf of Qingyuan and Yi Niang for these years!"
After saying that, Liang Chuan leaned towards Xia Dehai and bowed.
Xia Dehai burst into tears and said: "My boss, you are shortening my life. You and my young mistress treat me sincerely. I can only try my best to repay you. These are all things within my scope. After all these years, I feel like I am living like a human being. I I just want to be able to travel the sea for two more years for my boss and my mistress, and avoid a few more routes. If you die, you will die. If you die, your eggs will fall into the sky, there is nothing to be afraid of!"
"You know more about ships than I do. Go to the dock to communicate with Liang Zao when you have time. It doesn't matter how much you spend. As long as you and your brothers are safe, slowly improve the ship. Those Persians The ship has some merits, you might as well learn more!"
"Yes! Boss! When will you move out the money that the young lady brought?" Xia Dehai asked.
"Go find some boatmen and ask them to transport your things to the Forbidden City. It just so happens that the Forbidden City is right on the Bianhe River!"
"Good!"
More than two million dollars filled dozens of boxes, which made the ship sink to a depth of water. The boatmen were making a living on the river. They had moved all kinds of cargo and didn't pay much attention to it. However, when they entered the cabin one by one, they kept looking at the ten cannons in the cabin.
It turned out that Xia Dehai was reluctant to take the ten cannons on board. The weight of these ten cannons was extremely heavy, and it seriously slowed down the progress when entering the Bianhe River. However, when the ship encountered those water thieves, it would still be a disaster. Daoist people, Xia Dehai was stunned after a few rounds of shells. It turns out that these black bumps are so scary!
There are also many pirates on the sea. In the past, naval battles often involved two ships connecting with each other, using machetes to kill each other. Victory was not considered until all of the parties were dead or jumped into the sea and surrendered. Fortunately, the few times he went to sea, the ship was well-equipped with soldiers. This was a near miss, but it was also the feeling of running back and forth before the gate of hell.
Ever since Su Wei asked him to install this thing on the boat, how could he be afraid of being caught in the future? The pirate's ship doesn't wait for it to come up, he just needs to fire a few cannons from a few miles away, and he can get the ship without sinking. With this magical weapon, the sea is his world, and there is no place he can't go!
In the past, Xia Dehai would ask Su Wei about his mother several times a day, but now he is eager to have Su Wei imprisoned. He hopes that Su Wei will show mercy and let him equip every ship in his fleet with these cannons. By then, besides God, who will Who else is his opponent on the sea of Nanyang?
Xia Dehai took care of these ten cannons like treasures and had his men wipe them every day, fearing that the sea water would cause rust and affect his accuracy.
The laborers who boarded the ship kept staring at his treasure, which made Xia Dehai furious: "Where are you guys looking at? If you don't work quickly, get out of here. If you look at me again, I'll blind your eyes." !”
The boatman knew he was in the wrong, but he didn't dare to look at it, so he had to work hard.
The strength of the crew members is generally not small, and they can only be with the water all year round, and there is nowhere to vent the evil fire in them. They are all easy to get into trouble, and fights are common if they disagree. Xia Dehai is a man with blood on his hands. How dare they neglect him?
Liang Chuan thought about one thing and asked Xia Dehai, "Do you have any clues about the crops I asked you to look for when you went to sea?"
He found sweet potato and pepper seeds in Nanyang and successfully brought them back. Although only peppers allowed him to successfully launch hot pot, they did not seem to be of much use.
Only Liang Chuan knows the true uses of these food crops. When disasters and hunger strike, how many lives can they save?
After Liang Chuan returned to Xinghua this time, one important thing was to promote sweet potatoes. It would be better if corn could be found. If there are not many sweet potatoes in the northern land, there can be a lot of corn.
Xia Dehai shook his head: "Not really."
If Xia Dehai is asked to compare samples, the chance of finding them will be greatly increased. There are extremely abstract pictures just by talking about them, but no matter how good he is, he can't find them. Corn is relatively easy to recognize because of its strong shape. Potatoes and sweet potatoes look similar, so you can’t tell them apart if you touch them.
Xia Dehai didn't mean to shirk. On the contrary, he valued Liang Chuan's words very much. Liang Chuan's emphasis on these plants must have their uses.
Liang Chuan thought to himself, could it really be that he had to go to the South American continent to find it? How easy is it to cross the ocean? You can't ask Xia Dehai to go to the other side of the ocean to find these two plants. To put it bluntly, it won't take hundreds of years to popularize these plants, and their economic value will not be mentioned in a short time. How can he be allowed to go there? Take the risk?
Seeing Liang Chuan's thoughts, Xia Dehai said: "My boss, if you really want it, I will go to sea to help you find it another day, but..."
"But what?"
Xia Dehai said mysteriously: "But you have to have a nice word with Mr. Su and ask him to equip our fleet with a few more cannons. This way I will have more confidence when I go to sea. At least I won't have to deal with those who are not discerning at sea." escape!"
"Do you know how to use a cannon?"
Cannons are the same as guns. It looks like they just put a fire on the fuse, and then blast it. In fact, this is not the case. Why does the Shenji Battalion have to practice day and night? This thing is really a technical job. The angle accuracy of the cannon Either rely on high technology to improve, or just let the gunner practice make perfect!
There are rough waves on the sea, and firing artillery is a science. Whoever has better skills can survive on the sea.
"I don't understand. This thing only needs to be clicked, right?"
Liang Chuan said: "I will go back and ask you to install a few more cannons. You will train me day and night. Put one or two small boats on the sea and try your best to improve the hit rate under the conditions of wind and waves. Just practice. It doesn't matter how much you spend. Su I'll tell him when he's in Wei, you, the commander of the navy, don't have to use a knife to cut people on the sea, just shoot me when you encounter the enemy!"
"Thank you, boss!" Xia Dehai knelt down on one knee in front of Liang Chuan. He originally thought that this thing was expensive and powerful and would only be used by their adult management brigade or the newly established Shenji Battalion. He didn't expect that his boss would be so generous. , he can see through his own thoughts at a glance!
Mounting artillery on ships was a normal idea in later generations, but it was extremely novel to Xia Dehai, and he was naturally flattered.
"Master, when will we return to Qingyuan?"
"There's no rush, maybe I'll go back soon! Then I won't have to take the dry road, and the water road will be more comfortable!"
Just as Liang Chuan was about to leave, he looked at the boxes of money being carried away and asked, "How much tolls were collected on the road?"
Xia Dehai didn't want to say anything, but when Liang Chuan asked, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll leave after collecting nearly 10,000 yuan!"
Liang Chuan shouted: "Why so many!"
"The tax collectors originally came on board to search the tax cards along the way. In order to avoid trouble, I checked more. I paid more than ten times the tax of other ships. I even displayed Mr. Xia's sign in several places. Only then did I Escaped."
Liang Chuan smashed his fist on the hull of the ship and said, "Grandma, if this is a cargo ship, how much cargo must it carry to make back the money?"
Xia Dehai felt distressed when he saw it: "Master, please be gentle!"
Seeing that he treated the ship as a treasure, Liang Chuan almost forgot that it was his heart and hurriedly retracted his fist.
Dozens of boxes of money were neatly transported to the Forbidden City, and Liang Chuan returned Sun Houpu's original 300,000 guan. This money was used to buy medicines in the pharmacy opposite, and it was also the money Liang Chuan paid for his initial investment.
When Shitou saw so much money, he would have been a little surprised before. He followed the northwest and smuggled coal and iron ore. He also smuggled some grain along the way. He was not as rich as Sun Houpu, but the money was also There was too much to spend, so I brought several batches back to Xinghua. Now I don’t think it’s strange to see so much, but I’m also sighing in my heart.
The first time I met Liang Chuan was in Xinghua Prison. At that time, he had nothing to offer, but he spent his own money to help him out of trouble. Thirty years later in Hedong, he is no longer the poor boy he was back then. He has become a millionaire in half the city in just a few short years. .
"Third brother, are we going back?"
"Um!"
The pharmacy is run by Zhan Zhirong and Xue Gui, and under the supervision of An Yisheng and Secretary Huang, a master of internal medicine and a master of surgery, the pharmacy behind it has gradually taken shape!
The next step is when to prepare for opening!
Sun Houpu's injury was not serious. He originally thought that he would have to wait until he was almost recovered before he could take the next step in his affairs. However, he did not expect that he had underestimated the medical skills of Dr. An Huang. After several doses of medicine, both internal and external, these days God allowed him to go to the ground.
Liang Chuan smiled bitterly and didn't know whether it was the magic of love or the medicine that really had miraculous effects. He saw with his own eyes that day he brought Karma Gongpo to see him, and then heard that the marriage between the Song and Zhao families was announced, and he was immediately beaten. As if, he was immediately full of energy.
Is that girl Xia Xue really that attractive? Or is this guy unable to extricate himself from being obsessed with a woman after being single for a long time?
Liang Chuan rode back to the Forbidden City, but before he could get off his horse, he was stopped by two unkempt beauties. The two beggars were a man and a woman. The man was begging, while the woman stood behind him in a daze, dragging the tattered bedding of the iron pot.
You must know that the number of beggars in Bianjing is even rarer than that of white dragon horses. The existence of these people seriously damaged the image of the emperor's official family. Once they discovered the soldiers and government officials patrolling the city, they would be rushed out of the city. Furthermore, as long as there is no intellectual disability or physical disability in the city, there is work everywhere. If you can become a beggar, you are really lazy!
And it seemed that they were here for him. There were so many dignitaries coming in and out of the Forbidden City every day, and all of them wore more expensive clothes than themselves. Could it be that these two beggars really had such good eyesight that they could identify themselves at a glance?
"Third brother, save me..." The beggar spoke with a thick Xinghua accent.
Calling himself third brother again, Liang Chuan's heart skipped a beat, he was a fellow countryman again!
Even Liang Chuan, who was here to beat the autumn wind, didn't dare to neglect him. He got off his horse and helped him up, and asked: "Are you...?"
This man cried out loud and said: "I am looking for you...I...I am recruiting my brother and brother to attract wealth."
"ah?"
Liang Chuan was a little surprised. Time seemed to have returned to the cold winter of that year. The stench of his eldest brother's house still lingered in his mind for a long time. No one in Fengshan looked down upon him. There was also an obese man at home. His evil wife weighed down their family and they couldn't hold their heads up. Hey, this woman doesn't seem to be his fat wife!
Liang Chuan greeted the boatmen to move the money into the Forbidden City, but instead of taking the two Zhaocai into the store to rest, he took them back to Liangjiazhuang.
Zhuangzi was burned, and now it is time to build a new one. When Nian Cheng saw Liang Chuan bringing someone back again, he knew from the accent that they were folks from the south who were looking for him to do business again. There were not many people like this in Ding Wei Mansion before, but Liang Chuan was kind-hearted and would never shirk someone who could help. Naturally, they, who were servants, would not be evil people, so they greeted the two Zhaocai people with smiles.
After the two of them had cleaned up, Nian Cheng prepared some food for the two of them. The two of them ate hungrily. Liang Chuan couldn't help but asked, "How long has it been since you last eaten?"
Zhaocai put down the hoof in his hand, wiped his mouth and said, "To be honest, third brother, I haven't eaten rice seriously in three days. We asked all the way here."
"How did you know I was in the Forbidden City?"
"Everyone in Qingyuan knows that this matter is easy to inquire about. Your story has become famous in the eyes of the villagers. Everyone felt sorry for you when you were sent away last year. Everyone is waiting for you to return."
Liang Chuan listened to his speech. He had never dealt with this fortune-teller before. He had the impression that he was a dull fool, but he did know how to speak. The woman beside him didn't know what her relationship was with him. She was sitting aside. If Zhaocai took a bite, he would take a bite too. If Zhaocai stopped to talk, she would quietly wait for him to finish.
"Who is this?"
"This is my wife!" Zhaocai introduced proudly.
Liang Chuan was stunned and asked, "I remember something wrong. My sister-in-law seems to be a little taller..."
Zhaocai put down the food in his hand, recalled the past events and said with a little heat on his face: "It turns out that woman married into my family and didn't serve her parents-in-law and take care of her uncle, forcing my brother Zhaocai to eat outside every day. Even after a full meal, he didn’t clean up the household items. He pointed at my nose and scolded me at the top of his lungs every day. I was so scolded that I couldn’t even raise my head when I was a big man.”
Liang Chuan knew that when he left Fengshan, every household either worked for the Liang Chuan family or had a young man in the adult management brigade. Many people still owed Liang Chuan rations, so he was the only one who recruited his younger brother and his wife, and did not buy anything from the beginning to the end. After paying Liang Chuan's debt, his life was quite stable, but he was still as poor as ever!
Zhaocai continued: "It turns out that my father is still at home, and his old man helps to cook the food. Later, third brother, you gave the old man a way to live, and went to the city to help look after the door. There was no one to take care of him at home, and the food was eaten every day. Either she had diarrhea or she ate for several days in a row. The woman and I once had a bad stomach after eating, and I carried it over. She had diarrhea for a few days, and the doctor in the town tried to show her body, but she scolded her and sent him away. I left after I couldn't find a doctor."
Liang Chuan was surprised when he heard that diarrhea can kill someone, but the ex-wife who brought wealth is also worthy of death. A woman is the only one in the world who can do her part in raising a family. She has a temper like a wolf and a fat body like a pig. It would be better if she dies. Be a good person!
"Then this is..."
The two brothers Zhaocai and Zhaodi had no contact with each other before, but now one can see that they are both upright people.
"She was also a poor person. The flood in Xinghua that year destroyed their house in Wudian. Her husband was taken away by the water, and his body was not found. She took her daughter to my old man's place to beg for food. My old man saw her She is a kind-hearted person, so she arranged for her to marry me with her daughter. It just so happened that I didn’t have any children, so we were living together! Quickly say goodbye to the third brother. Our whole family relies on the blessing of the third brother to take us through. Live a good life!"
The woman stood up and knelt down in front of Liang Chuan. She banged her head on the ground and chewed three heads. The sound was so loud that it frightened Liang Chuan: "My little girl Wei Qiu'e chewed her head off for her benefactor."
"That's not possible. Get up quickly. Your uncle and I have a brother-in-law relationship. Logically speaking, I have to call you sister-in-law. There is no reason for a sister-in-law to salute your uncle!"
Liang Chuan helped Wei Qiu'e up and asked Nian Cheng to refill some vegetables for the two of them.
"Why are you here in Bianjing? This road is not traveled by humans. How long have you and your wife been walking?"
Zhaocai looked at Wei Qiu'e, and the two looked at each other and smiled. With this smile, Liang Chuan could tell that the hard-luck brother who had recruited his younger brother was now enjoying all the hardships!
"It won't be long, just over half a year..."
"Huh? If I had known earlier, I might as well have let you follow our ship from Qingyuan Port!"
Qiu'e said: "My father-in-law gave us money before he left, and I asked my father-in-law to take care of my daughter. We came to Bianjing just to find a way out, but we didn't dare to bother the third brother's boatman. We can go, so this is the only way we can go." Nothing!"
Zhaocai said with some embarrassment: "Because of my wife, I offended everyone in Fengshan. Everyone in Fengshan is afraid of a dog. After I offended this woman, there were seniors and juniors, but she was virtuous enough to take care of my house." I was clean, but living a tight life was not the solution, so I went to ask my brother and the old man. They gave me a suggestion and asked me to come to Bianjing to join you, the third brother. You are also a well-known figure in Bianjing. I want you to show me how to survive, we can both do any job and endure hardship!"
It turned out to be like this, but it was a disaster for these two people.
Liang Chuan sighed and said: "Although Bianjing looks grand and noble, this is not the place for us to stay."
The two of them felt their hearts sink when they heard this. . Do you want to drive them back?
Zhaocai said: "It doesn't matter if Third Brother doesn't have a clear path. We will definitely repay Third Brother after eating this meal. In this case, it won't be inconvenient for the two of us to disturb him!"
Liang Chuan smiled and said: "You are all honest people, and I am telling the truth. This is really not a place for you to live. I have an idea. Do you still remember the 'Sacred Bird Eggs' I sold in Xinghua?"
Zhaocai became more energetic upon hearing this, and he and Wei Qiu'e looked at each other and said, "I know."
Liang Chuan said: "I will give the recipe to you and your wife. If you make money, you must return to our hometown. That's all I ask!"
