Chapter 995: Share Release, Mining for a Living
Cha Qing remained calm and stepped aside: "Why is Brother Gongga here?"
"Brother, I have a sharper nose than a snowy mastiff. When I came back from outside, I smelled something delicious in the brothers' room, as if they were having hot pot. I couldn't help but show my greedy side, so I ran out to join in the fun. I also brought two bottles of good wine with me. When I came in, I saw that it was just as expected! If you ask me, hot pot is a lively activity, but what's the point of having it behind closed doors? How stingy!"
Li Gongga picked up the wine jar. His face was very dark, his skin was rough, his cheeks were red, and his two black eyes embedded in his swollen eyelids were rolling around.
Cha Qing said with a half-helpless and half-amused look: "We are unfamiliar with the place. We have lived here for half a year and we don't know anyone in Hantai Mansion. The three of us brothers can only drink some wine behind closed doors."
"I am here!"
"Hahaha, you're right. Come, Brother Li, sit down." Fan Zixuan pulled out a stool. "Kou Zhuang, go get another set of bowls and chopsticks."
After checking, he poured the wine, picked up the plate, put the beef and mutton in, and glanced down.
"I see there's a box in Brother Li's hand. You're not here just to eat hot pot today, right?"
"I found out that Brother Qing is unique and I want to discuss something with the three brothers."
"Brother Li is a straightforward person, so just say it, why beat around the bush."
"Okay." Li Gongga took the bowl and chopsticks, slapped the box in his sleeve on the table, and pointed at Kou Zhuang, "You and I have known each other for half a year. Let's not talk about other people. Just talking about this Zhuang brother, he is in his early twenties, and he has already galloped across the border. The smoke of war is not far away. Even if he is placed in Nanzhili, I think he is still a promising man.
You three, you didn't stay in the Jiangnan area with its distinct seasons, but came all the way to Hantai. You must have either committed a crime in the Central Plains and are afraid of being investigated by the government, so you hide your identities; or you are here to seek wealth and fame. There are many fugitives in Hantai, I have seen many, so you don't have to be afraid. Brother, tell me, which one are you?"
"Brother Li, do you think we are the ones who committed a crime?" Cha Qing asked back.
"Hahaha! If you want to be rich, why would you be willing to fish and mine in March?"
Cha Qing looked at him with burning eyes: "Brother Gongga, do you have any connections?"
"I dare not tell you the way..."
The corner of the room was dark.
The flowing water curtain obscures and distorts the light and shadows.
Liang Qu didn't understand what the four people were saying, but he saw Li Gongga sitting down and handing out a small box. Inside was a snow-white robe with faint scale patterns on it.
In the restaurant of Hantai Mansion, people wearing clothes made of this fabric can often be seen leaning against the windows. He guessed that it was some kind of expensive Hantai specialty, animal fur.
"The three branches of the Bai family each released 30,000 stones of scattered prayer iron and 1,000 stones of Dragon Ridge salt outside the Nanshan mine. People outside were fighting over their shares. I have a brother working inside who can help us secretly grab 300 stones of iron and 20 stones of salt at cost price.
With connections made from top to bottom, it's easy to sell this kind of hard goods. The only problem is how to sell it. You guys are from Nanzhili, so you're familiar with the place and the route. You can sell it for more than a thousand taels! Isn't this a great opportunity to make a fortune?
Let's get together and take over the share. When we make money, we can give it to my brother as dividends and make longevity locks for his children and grandchildren. After a few times, we can save up enough capital and start a business. If you agree, I will consider this half piece of snow python silk in the box as a gift from my brother."
The copper pot gurgled.
The room was bustling with activity.
More than an hour later, the cups and plates were in a mess, and vegetable leaves were stuck to the edge of the pot. Kou Zhuang added water for the fourth time. Li Gongga shook his hand and pushed open the bottle, smiling, burped, and left drunkenly.
Quiet.
The charcoal cracked and sparks flew out.
"Huh." Cha Qing exhaled a breath of alcohol, swallowed twice to relieve his thirst, and touched the box first to confirm that there was no special means hidden inside. "Where is Lord Liang? Did he use magical powers to escape?"
Fan Zixuan and Kou Zhuang both looked towards the corner.
Wow.
The water curtain opened, and Taotaokai was the first to walk out of the shadows.
Find out the truth.
What kind of magical power is this?
He hid in the shadow in the corner for more than an hour and no one noticed him?
Taotao cleaned up the tabletop, set up the pot and started cooking again. The little mirage dragon blew out white mist, creating white jade bowls and chopsticks. Liang Qu lifted his skirt and sat down at the table again.
"What did that Li Gongga say?"
After finding out the truth, he suppressed his curiosity about the water curtain and repeated part of it with Fan Zixuan and Kou Zhuang.
"Longji Salt and Prayer Flag Iron are all the property of the Bai family. Longji Salt is rock salt mined from deep in the Bingjing Snow Mountain. It was originally fed to livestock. It was added directly to livestock feed without being detoxified. Later, it was accidentally discovered that it could resist cold miasma. Livestock no longer panted or got tired after eating Longji Salt, and were no different from those on the plains. That's why it became expensive and was sold to people.
The sutra iron is also a good iron from the snowy mountains. It is light and hard. More than 90% of the martial artists in Hantai Prefecture use this iron to make weapons. The three of us have also been mining in the Ice Realm Mountains recently. Every year, each branch of the Bai family has a small share of it, which is very difficult to grab. "
Liang Qu was puzzled: "You three are all horse-running warriors after all, how come you want to go mining?"
It was found out that when he came to work, he was at the middle level with four orifices. Seven years passed in a flash, and he was already at the upper level with seven orifices.
Fan Zixuan is slightly worse, from three orifices to six orifices.
It was Kou Zhuang, who was born with strong bones, who came out on top. When we first met, he was still at the third level, but now he is already a seven-orifice martial artist.
One medium-quality horse and two superior horses are enough to serve as guards for a wealthy businessman, and he can lead a comfortable life.
Mining?
Cha Qing was ashamed: "I came to Hantai and I can't just do nothing. That would be too suspicious. I have to find a way to make a living. The locals are too xenophobic. We don't get the good jobs. Among the ordinary jobs, mining is considered to be more work, more pay. According to the amount of crude ore, the profit is not small."
"Did you promise him?"
"I think we can give it a try. This meat must have been sent by the Bai family on purpose. It is unlikely to be poisonous. There is no reason to refuse it. However, it is only two or three hundred dan, and the cost is more than three thousand. I am afraid it is beyond our limit."
"Go ahead and buy it." Liang Qu took out another 3,000 taels of silver notes from his remaining 20,000 taels of silver to support it. "If you lose, it's my fault. If you make a profit, it's your own ability."
Cha Qing was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!"
Ding ding.
Gold coins bounce around my ears.
Deposit: 17,000.
"How do you know that Li Gongga is a spy of the Bai family? And why did he suddenly come to you to do business today?"
"Sir, it's not quite accurate to say that Li Gongga is a spy. When we chose this place to settle down, Li Gongga had lived nearby for three years. It's too coincidental to say that we happened to choose to be next to the Bai family's spy.
I think that after we settled down, the Bai family wanted to make things easier for us, so they developed Li Gongga into their spy. As a result, Gongga was not very good at getting information, which gave people a sense of impatience and offense. As for doing business... it should be the end of the year."
"The end of the year..."
"We are from Nanzhili, and the Bai family is very vigilant. They probably suspect that we are spies, so they naturally want to follow us and find out the identity of your Excellency.
Firstly, after living here for half a year and studying for several months while travelling, the three of us have learned some of the Snowland dialect. We can communicate normally without any hindrance and have found out a lot of things. This is a turning point, like the movement of a fish float.
Secondly, the end of the year is different. The end of the year and the beginning of the year are also the beginning and the end of things. It's like the spring river water is warm and the big fish are fat. With the two nodes together, the Bai family naturally wants to give it a try. A few hundred stones are insignificant. "
"Heh." Liang Qu tapped the table with his index finger without hesitation, "Let's talk about the conflict of power within the Bai family."
"Yes……"
Find out the truth and tell the story of the three of them.
A thin film of water wrapped around the entire room, offsetting the sound wave vibrations with an opposite frequency, and not a single sound was heard.
(End of this chapter)
Cha Qing remained calm and stepped aside: "Why is Brother Gongga here?"
"Brother, I have a sharper nose than a snowy mastiff. When I came back from outside, I smelled something delicious in the brothers' room, as if they were having hot pot. I couldn't help but show my greedy side, so I ran out to join in the fun. I also brought two bottles of good wine with me. When I came in, I saw that it was just as expected! If you ask me, hot pot is a lively activity, but what's the point of having it behind closed doors? How stingy!"
Li Gongga picked up the wine jar. His face was very dark, his skin was rough, his cheeks were red, and his two black eyes embedded in his swollen eyelids were rolling around.
Cha Qing said with a half-helpless and half-amused look: "We are unfamiliar with the place. We have lived here for half a year and we don't know anyone in Hantai Mansion. The three of us brothers can only drink some wine behind closed doors."
"I am here!"
"Hahaha, you're right. Come, Brother Li, sit down." Fan Zixuan pulled out a stool. "Kou Zhuang, go get another set of bowls and chopsticks."
After checking, he poured the wine, picked up the plate, put the beef and mutton in, and glanced down.
"I see there's a box in Brother Li's hand. You're not here just to eat hot pot today, right?"
"I found out that Brother Qing is unique and I want to discuss something with the three brothers."
"Brother Li is a straightforward person, so just say it, why beat around the bush."
"Okay." Li Gongga took the bowl and chopsticks, slapped the box in his sleeve on the table, and pointed at Kou Zhuang, "You and I have known each other for half a year. Let's not talk about other people. Just talking about this Zhuang brother, he is in his early twenties, and he has already galloped across the border. The smoke of war is not far away. Even if he is placed in Nanzhili, I think he is still a promising man.
You three, you didn't stay in the Jiangnan area with its distinct seasons, but came all the way to Hantai. You must have either committed a crime in the Central Plains and are afraid of being investigated by the government, so you hide your identities; or you are here to seek wealth and fame. There are many fugitives in Hantai, I have seen many, so you don't have to be afraid. Brother, tell me, which one are you?"
"Brother Li, do you think we are the ones who committed a crime?" Cha Qing asked back.
"Hahaha! If you want to be rich, why would you be willing to fish and mine in March?"
Cha Qing looked at him with burning eyes: "Brother Gongga, do you have any connections?"
"I dare not tell you the way..."
The corner of the room was dark.
The flowing water curtain obscures and distorts the light and shadows.
Liang Qu didn't understand what the four people were saying, but he saw Li Gongga sitting down and handing out a small box. Inside was a snow-white robe with faint scale patterns on it.
In the restaurant of Hantai Mansion, people wearing clothes made of this fabric can often be seen leaning against the windows. He guessed that it was some kind of expensive Hantai specialty, animal fur.
"The three branches of the Bai family each released 30,000 stones of scattered prayer iron and 1,000 stones of Dragon Ridge salt outside the Nanshan mine. People outside were fighting over their shares. I have a brother working inside who can help us secretly grab 300 stones of iron and 20 stones of salt at cost price.
With connections made from top to bottom, it's easy to sell this kind of hard goods. The only problem is how to sell it. You guys are from Nanzhili, so you're familiar with the place and the route. You can sell it for more than a thousand taels! Isn't this a great opportunity to make a fortune?
Let's get together and take over the share. When we make money, we can give it to my brother as dividends and make longevity locks for his children and grandchildren. After a few times, we can save up enough capital and start a business. If you agree, I will consider this half piece of snow python silk in the box as a gift from my brother."
The copper pot gurgled.
The room was bustling with activity.
More than an hour later, the cups and plates were in a mess, and vegetable leaves were stuck to the edge of the pot. Kou Zhuang added water for the fourth time. Li Gongga shook his hand and pushed open the bottle, smiling, burped, and left drunkenly.
Quiet.
The charcoal cracked and sparks flew out.
"Huh." Cha Qing exhaled a breath of alcohol, swallowed twice to relieve his thirst, and touched the box first to confirm that there was no special means hidden inside. "Where is Lord Liang? Did he use magical powers to escape?"
Fan Zixuan and Kou Zhuang both looked towards the corner.
Wow.
The water curtain opened, and Taotaokai was the first to walk out of the shadows.
Find out the truth.
What kind of magical power is this?
He hid in the shadow in the corner for more than an hour and no one noticed him?
Taotao cleaned up the tabletop, set up the pot and started cooking again. The little mirage dragon blew out white mist, creating white jade bowls and chopsticks. Liang Qu lifted his skirt and sat down at the table again.
"What did that Li Gongga say?"
After finding out the truth, he suppressed his curiosity about the water curtain and repeated part of it with Fan Zixuan and Kou Zhuang.
"Longji Salt and Prayer Flag Iron are all the property of the Bai family. Longji Salt is rock salt mined from deep in the Bingjing Snow Mountain. It was originally fed to livestock. It was added directly to livestock feed without being detoxified. Later, it was accidentally discovered that it could resist cold miasma. Livestock no longer panted or got tired after eating Longji Salt, and were no different from those on the plains. That's why it became expensive and was sold to people.
The sutra iron is also a good iron from the snowy mountains. It is light and hard. More than 90% of the martial artists in Hantai Prefecture use this iron to make weapons. The three of us have also been mining in the Ice Realm Mountains recently. Every year, each branch of the Bai family has a small share of it, which is very difficult to grab. "
Liang Qu was puzzled: "You three are all horse-running warriors after all, how come you want to go mining?"
It was found out that when he came to work, he was at the middle level with four orifices. Seven years passed in a flash, and he was already at the upper level with seven orifices.
Fan Zixuan is slightly worse, from three orifices to six orifices.
It was Kou Zhuang, who was born with strong bones, who came out on top. When we first met, he was still at the third level, but now he is already a seven-orifice martial artist.
One medium-quality horse and two superior horses are enough to serve as guards for a wealthy businessman, and he can lead a comfortable life.
Mining?
Cha Qing was ashamed: "I came to Hantai and I can't just do nothing. That would be too suspicious. I have to find a way to make a living. The locals are too xenophobic. We don't get the good jobs. Among the ordinary jobs, mining is considered to be more work, more pay. According to the amount of crude ore, the profit is not small."
"Did you promise him?"
"I think we can give it a try. This meat must have been sent by the Bai family on purpose. It is unlikely to be poisonous. There is no reason to refuse it. However, it is only two or three hundred dan, and the cost is more than three thousand. I am afraid it is beyond our limit."
"Go ahead and buy it." Liang Qu took out another 3,000 taels of silver notes from his remaining 20,000 taels of silver to support it. "If you lose, it's my fault. If you make a profit, it's your own ability."
Cha Qing was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!"
Ding ding.
Gold coins bounce around my ears.
Deposit: 17,000.
"How do you know that Li Gongga is a spy of the Bai family? And why did he suddenly come to you to do business today?"
"Sir, it's not quite accurate to say that Li Gongga is a spy. When we chose this place to settle down, Li Gongga had lived nearby for three years. It's too coincidental to say that we happened to choose to be next to the Bai family's spy.
I think that after we settled down, the Bai family wanted to make things easier for us, so they developed Li Gongga into their spy. As a result, Gongga was not very good at getting information, which gave people a sense of impatience and offense. As for doing business... it should be the end of the year."
"The end of the year..."
"We are from Nanzhili, and the Bai family is very vigilant. They probably suspect that we are spies, so they naturally want to follow us and find out the identity of your Excellency.
Firstly, after living here for half a year and studying for several months while travelling, the three of us have learned some of the Snowland dialect. We can communicate normally without any hindrance and have found out a lot of things. This is a turning point, like the movement of a fish float.
Secondly, the end of the year is different. The end of the year and the beginning of the year are also the beginning and the end of things. It's like the spring river water is warm and the big fish are fat. With the two nodes together, the Bai family naturally wants to give it a try. A few hundred stones are insignificant. "
"Heh." Liang Qu tapped the table with his index finger without hesitation, "Let's talk about the conflict of power within the Bai family."
"Yes……"
Find out the truth and tell the story of the three of them.
A thin film of water wrapped around the entire room, offsetting the sound wave vibrations with an opposite frequency, and not a single sound was heard.
(End of this chapter)
