When Xiao Zhong returned to Handicraft Street, several sisters swarmed up and surrounded Xiao Zhong.
"Xiao Zhong, where have you gone?"
Wu Qinghui scolded with anger on his face.
Su Qinqin on the side also said anxiously
"Yes, you disappeared so late at night, your master is almost dying of anxiety."
Xiao Zhong lowered his head and said
"I'm sorry, sisters."
Shopkeeper Li behind him tried to smooth things over
"Okay, just come back. Let's go back and rest. Sister Wu, you have done a big business today and you are very tired. Why don't you go back to bed quickly."
Wu Qing Huidao
"It's not a big deal. It's just a drunkard who asked for twelve carts of wine, so I had to go to another street to borrow wine."
Su Qinqin glanced at Xiao Zhong angrily.
"Anyway, it's good that everyone is fine. You are not allowed to run around in the future."
Xiao Zhong nodded repeatedly.
"Okay, let's all disperse."
Shopkeeper Li said.
When Xiao Zhong returned to the shop, he heard Old Man Zhong's cough coming from the back room.
"Ahem..."
Little Zhong's heart tightened, and he walked to the back room. Old Zhong, who was wearing a coat, turned around, with a wrinkled smile on his old face.
"Ahem, Xiao Zhong, where did you go so late at night?"
Xiao Zhong saw that his master looked a little pale, so he hurriedly came forward and said
"Master, what's wrong with you?"
Old man Zhong shook his head and said with a wry smile.
"It's okay. I just went out to look for you. I guess there was a bit of cool breeze."
Xiao Zhong patted the master distressedly
"Master, I have made you worried."
He suddenly thought of the man in black he had just met at the lakeside, his expression was a little unnatural, and he said
"Master, which company did the order we took today come from?"
Old Man Zhong was a little surprised. He didn't know why he suddenly cared about his employer, but he didn't think much about it and said
"It seems to be a scholar, I really forgot whose family it is."
Then the old man seemed to have remembered something and said again
"Oh, by the way, I just took stock of the goods. I don't have enough saltpeter at home. You can go buy some tomorrow."
Xiao Zhong said
"In the past, my master would go to the quarry outside the city to buy it himself. I am not familiar with the person in charge of the quarry, so I am afraid it will be difficult."
Old Man Zhong gave him a hard knock on the back of the head.
"You are such a stupid person, why don't you go and establish a good relationship when we are not familiar with each other? When I am too old to get out of bed, do you still need me to do these things?"
Xiao Zhong nodded awkwardly.
"Okay, Master."
next morning
Xiao Zhong, dressed in coarse clothes, went out early.
"Xiao Zhong goes out so early."
Wu Qinghui rolled up his sleeves and pushed a cart of wine, his face covered with sweat.
"Sister Wu, let me help you."
Seeing Wu Qinghui struggling, Xiao Zhong quickly ran to her side and helped her push the cart.
"Xiao Zhong, my sister's love for you is not in vain."
Wu Qinghui smiled.
Ahead, Shopkeeper Liu of Yangliu Dessert Shop happened to open the door.
"You still have to have a man. Once Xiao Zhong comes, Sister Wu will feel much more relaxed."
Shopkeeper Liu said with a smile.
"You are not ashamed to use the little bell every day."
Opposite, Su Qinqin, sitting outside the door with a book in her hand, rolled her eyes at them.
Xiao Zhong wiped the sweat from his face and said naively
"It's okay. These sisters are all my good sisters. It's only right to do something for you."
Su Qinqin didn't hesitate anymore, looked at Xiao Zhong, and said softly
"Xiao Zhong, what are you doing so early?"
Xiao Zhongdao
"The saltpeter in the shop is gone. Master asked me to go to the quarry outside the city to buy some."
"Didn't your master do all this work before? Why did you do it this time?"
Wu Qinghui asked from the side.
Speaking of which, Xiao Zhong is only one and two years old. He is worried about how to have a relationship with the people in the quarry.
"Master said that when I grow up, this shop will always be in my hands. I have to do what he did before."
Su Qinqin smiled and said
"The old man is right. Then you should be careful. Outside the city is no better than inside. There are no officers and soldiers patrolling. If you encounter those desperate Jianghu people, stay away."
Xiao Zhong nodded and said
"Well, I know Sister Su."
The quarry is about ten miles outside Taiyang City. The quarry here is the largest saltpeter producer in the Central Plains.
On the construction site, the mining workers were naked and had dark skin. There was a large mine on the ground. Looking down from the mouth of the mine, it was pitch black and nothing could be seen.
Xiao Zhong looked at the naked strong men walking around and felt a little embarrassed. Someone noticed this little guy.
"Hey! Where are you from? What are you doing here?"
A big man said with a thick voice.
Xiao Zhong was startled. Looking at the strong and dark muscle lines of the strong man, he trembled and said
"I'm from the Zhong Family Fireworks Shop, and I'm here to buy some saltpeter."
The strong man frowned
"Fireworks shop? Isn't it always Old Zhong who comes here?"
Xiao Zhong said
"Master caught the cold yesterday and couldn't get out of bed today, so I had to come."
The strong man asked still doubtfully
"It's only June. In the past, purchases were not made in August or September."
Xiao Zhong said
"We received a big new order and we don't have enough stock."
The strong man became more and more disbelieving. He was about to ask questions when he heard a voice coming from behind him.
"Li Er, let him come over."
Pingchuan, wearing a bamboo hat on his head, walked over. Next to him, a man dressed as a Jianghu man stood with him.
Xiao Zhong looked at the Jianghu man. Although his eyes were calm, for some reason, his body was unconsciously afraid. The man was just standing there, but he felt that he could break his neck at any time.
Just one look from him made me sweat.
The Jianghu man glanced at Xiao Zhong, then turned his head and said to Pingchuan
"Mr. Hirakawa, I'll take my leave now."
Pingchuan was silent for a while, then nodded.
After the gangster left, Pingchuan looked at the strong man Li Er and said
"My lord has given instructions on this matter in advance, let him come in."
When Li Er heard the word "adult", his expression changed instantly, and he grinned at Xiao Zhong.
"Since it's the master's order, then you can go in."
As he spoke, he patted Xiao Zhong. Xiao Zhong was caught off guard and almost staggered, falling forward.
The energy and blood in Xiao Zhong's body surged, and he was frightened for a while. The strong man was too strong.
Then, he followed Pingchuan into a wooden house in the quarry.
"Sit anywhere."
Xiao Zhong looked at everything in the room blankly, his thoughts still lingering on what the man in the bamboo hat had just said.
Why do you say it was ordered by an adult?
"Hello, my name is Pingchuan, and I am the new manager here."
Pingchuan spoke calmly with a Jiangnan accent.
Xiao Zhong nodded and introduced himself.
"My name is Zhong Qin, everyone calls me Xiao Zhong. I am from the fireworks shop in the city."
Pingchuan's face was covered by a bamboo hat and Xiao Zhong couldn't see him, but from his tone, Xiao Zhong knew that he was a very gentle person.
"Your master asked you to come here on his behalf. Naturally, he is going to let you take over his business. There are some things that I have to say hello to you in advance."
Xiao Zhong was confused as to what to say hello.
"It turns out that this place is under the jurisdiction of Mr. Fu, the Minister of the Ministry of War. The steward here is also Mr. Fu's nephew. After Mr. Fu died, this place was taken over by Mr. Xi, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. The person in charge became me, but no matter who is in charge, Some things never change."
Having said this, Pingchuan glanced at the confused Xiao Zhong.
"This quarry usually has no source of income. If the adults want to support so many workers, they naturally have to find some way. And among the large and small shops in the city, the ones that are most closely related to the quarry are naturally You’re a fireworks shop.”
"As you can see, there are two main types of stone mined here. One is ordinary stone, which is often used for construction, and the other is saltpeter. Master Xi knows that you people who make fireworks have a great demand for this kind of saltpeter. , so I will probably visit your shop often and make some fireworks in the future."
Speaking of this, Xiao Zhong became more and more confused, but he probably understood something. The person who placed the fireworks order for his shop yesterday should be Master Xi, but he still didn't understand what Master Xi wanted to do.
Hirakawa continued
"As long as Mr. Xi patronizes your shop, you will naturally come to purchase saltpeter. For example, this time, I will increase the purchase price, but when the accounting office does the accounting, it will still be sold at the original price, and the extra silver will be From your shop."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhong was a little unhappy.
"Why is this?"
Hirakawa said
"My lord gives you business, you buy saltpeter, and return part of the profit to your lord. In this way, you make money, and your lord also makes money. Only this kind of business can last for a long time."
Xiao Zhong suddenly realized, and finally understood why. No wonder there were so many fireworks suddenly coming and going during the holidays, and he made money every time they came and went.
At this moment, he finally understood why his master asked him to make connections. Come to think of it, this is how their shop has dealt with noble people in the past few decades.
Xiao Zhong straightened his mind and said
"In this case, just follow Mr. Pingchuan's wishes."
Pingchuan smiled happily
"Okay, that's it, Li Er!"
After a while, Li Er walked in.
"Go and prepare saltpeter for Shopkeeper Zhong. Find a few brothers and deliver it to your door in person."
Li Er grinned, obviously he also knew the secrets here, and said
"yes."
Then he looked at Xiao Zhong again and said with a smile
"Shopkeeper Zhong, we will have to deal with you more in the future."
After about a cup of tea, Xiao Zhong said goodbye to Pingchuan and left the quarry.
But not long after Xiao Zhong left, a secret door suddenly opened in Pingchuan's house, and Xi Shusi slowly walked out.
He looked delighted and patted Pingchuan fiercely.
"Oh, brother Pingchuan, you are really my lucky star. Thanks to you for coming up with this idea. When the Chaotian Building is completed, the celebration is celebrated, and the fireworks are set off, the money will be earned naturally. From now on, if you have my share, you can It’s your share.”
Pingchuan's eyes were calm and seemed unmoved.
He just looked at the busy workers outside the house quietly and said lightly
"Chaotian Tower..."
When Xiao Zhong returned to the city, it was already noon.
The hot sunshine makes the Changming Lake sparkle with gold.
Walking along the lakeside, Xiao Zhong couldn't help but think of the strange things he saw last night. He stopped and looked at the other shore in the distance, which was almost out of reach.
After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards Handicraft Street.
About half a quarter of an hour later, he returned to the street. Several sisters from the neighborhood greeted him warmly when they saw him.
"Xiao Zhong, has the business deal been concluded?"
Shopkeeper Liu asked him with a smile.
Xiao Zhong nodded.
"Well, it went well."
At this time, a burst of curses on the street suddenly reached his ears.
"The man who killed a thousand swords stole it from me. I don't want to live anymore!"
