My eyelids are heavy, the boat can no longer hold up, so I go to sleep first!
I bowed and took my little egg yolk with me to express my gratitude to the uncles and uncles who have always supported the boat!
~~~~~~
Night has fallen quietly, and there are fine snowflakes in the sky, but the temporary station of the Colored Stone Army three miles west of Jinan City is brightly lit and busy with traffic!
Luxurious carriages, accompanied by many servants and servants, gathered outside the Caishi Army camp!
At this time, although the weather was extremely cold, these gentry and dignitaries, all dressed in silk and satin, with delicate bodies, were not affected by the cold weather at all. They gathered together in groups of three, three, and five, and kept talking.
They were talking about something in low voices. Even though their noses were runny from the cold, they didn't care and were still extremely excited!
"Hey~~! Isn't this Lao Cai? Haha? You, do you have an invitation from the Duke of the country? What? You dare to come here to join in the fun today?"
At this time, a fat man with a height of less than 1.6 meters, but a waist circumference of about 1.6 meters, with a body like a ball, walked into the crowd with a big smile, and laughed at a thin, wealthy businessman with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks.
"Hey! Mr. Ma, I haven't seen you for a while! I'm here to greet you!"
"Hey, my dear Ma, my dear brother! Brother, I thought you had forgotten the time and was about to send someone to rush you!"
"…………"
When the nobles around him saw this fat man, they all came forward to greet him, bowed their heads and said hello respectfully!
"Haha! Even if I forget my father and mother during the Grand Duke's banquet, I must not forget the Grand Duke's time! Otherwise, if my master finds out, he will skin my old horse alive.
Your skin!" The fat man mentioned the name of Duke Liu Ruyi and bowed his hands respectfully towards the camp. Then he smiled at everyone with a condescending look. Obviously, in his opinion,
, everyone’s respectful attitude seems to be natural!
"Master Ma is awesome! Who doesn't know that we, Mrs. Chun, can't live without your emerald bird's nest porridge every day! If we have the luck of Mr. Ma, it will be difficult not to get rich! As long as Mrs. Chun is happy, Colored Stone Trading Company can do whatever we want
Just one grain of rice is enough for us to work hard for a year!"
"Yes! Master Ma is mighty! I heard that our little master is now in love with your craftsmanship, Master Ma! If he doesn't eat the dishes you cook by yourself, he won't be able to sleep well!"
"…………"
"Haha! All the nobles are so flattering. What great ability does my old horse have? It's just the cooking skills passed down from our ancestors. Haha! I can't bear it. Mrs. Chun is my old horse's hometown, and she likes to eat my old horse's food.
Craftsmanship! Oh! It’s all blessed by the Bodhisattva! In a few months, it will be our little master’s birthday, and I, old Ma, have to figure out what gift to give to our little ancestor!” Fatty Ma stroked his fingers proudly.
I stroked a few long, light beards on my lips, and I couldn't express my pride!
This fat man's real name is Ma Deqiang. He was born as a refugee in Caishi Town. His ancestors were cooks, so he learned the cooking skills!
At first, he set up a small stall in Caishi Town and made a living by making wonton dumplings. Although the business could make a living, it would never be a big success!
However, this Ma Deqiang is from Yangzhou, Nanjing, and he makes a crystal wonton to perfection!
But unable to bear it, Liu Ruyi's favorite concubine, Chun Yunu, was also from Yangzhou. During her pregnancy, she couldn't eat anything but wanted to eat the crystal wontons from her hometown.
The servants of the General's Mansion, no, it should be called the Duke's Mansion now, were looking everywhere, but they searched almost all over Jinan City, Linqing City, and Jining City, but they still couldn't find anyone with such a craftsmanship.
When Ma Deqiang learned the news, he lost his courage and volunteered to go to the Duke's Mansion, ready to fight for a bright future!
Unfortunately, the first time he entered the Duke's Mansion, Ma Deqiang was so scared that he wet his pants. Although his skills were still there, he only performed at 50% of the level!
But who would have thought that Chunyunu, who had not tasted dishes from her hometown for many years, tasted Ma Deqiang's cooking for the first time and actually ate a whole bowl.
As the first pregnant concubine in the Duke's Mansion, Mrs. Zou was so happy that she immediately rewarded Ma Deqiang with one hundred taels of silver and ordered Ma Deqiang to continue making some for all the female family members in the backyard of the Duke's Mansion to taste.
Ma Deqiang is from Yangzhou, Zou is from Suzhou, Xiao Zixin is from Jining, and Dong Xiaowan is also from Suzhou. Almost no one rejects Ma Deqiang's craftsmanship!
It was at this moment that Ma Deqiang's wonton stall became instantly popular in Caishi Town, and soon spread to Jinan, Jining, Linqing and other surrounding areas!
What a joke! The old lady thinks it’s good, and all the ladies think it’s good, so these ‘crystal wontons’ must be a rare and good thing!
Ma Deqiang is also very business-savvy. He used the 100 taels of silver awarded to him by the Zou family to quickly expand his business. In just over a year, he quickly became a major catering powerhouse in Shandong. It was an overnight success.
rich.
However, Ma Deqiang was not dazzled by the huge surprise. Instead, he studied Yangzhou cuisine carefully. His skills became more and more proficient, and his business became more prosperous!
Up to now, Ma Deqiang can account for 30% of the food and dishes in the Duke's Mansion!
Although he is still a cook at heart, he can't stand it. The people he serves are awesome! In Shandong, he seems to be the number one chef and a fighter among cooks!
Now, even if many dignitaries want to eat a table of pure Yangzhou cuisine in his restaurant, they have to make a reservation first, and it depends on whether Mr. Ma is in a good mood!
At this time, the skinny Lao Cai sneered disdainfully, "Old Ma, don't be too proud! Your Yangzhou cuisine is, after all, a foreign dish in Shandong! Our Duke, that's
We are all Shandong people! Let’s ride on a donkey and read the songbook, we’ll see!”
"Ouch! Lao Cai! Don't scare me! Mr. Guo is such an old man and has so many things to do. How can he have time to go to your little shop? You want to fight with me, huh, in the next life!"
Colleagues are enemies.
Lao Cai is an authentic local cook from Shandong. However, he is a resident of Jinan City and has not caught up with the development opportunities of Caishi Town. At present, several of his restaurants are being overstretched by Ma Deqiang, so naturally he and Ma Deqiang do not agree.
Eye.
When the dignitaries saw that the two men were fighting again in public, they all retreated to both sides, not daring to interrupt for fear of causing harm to Chiyu!
In Caishi Town, in Jinan City, and in the entire Shandong Province, after Liu Ruyi's efforts over the years, the economic level has made a huge leap!
In this land, people rarely pay attention to their origins, but value their ability and strength the most!
If you have the ability, you can make money, and you can make a lot of money, this is what you really have the ability to do!
Even if you are a shit collector, if you can pick up all the shit in Caishi Town and Jinan City, then you will be the best among people!
Even if I am King De, if I have anything to do, I have to discuss it with you in a low voice!
After all, most of the fertilizer in the land depends on these seemingly inconspicuous things!
Liu Ruyi, on the other hand, has always acquiesced to these competitions in the business field! She did not interfere, but she also did not turn a deaf ear!
Liu Ruyi has always supported reasonable competition, but if they use unscrupulous means to maliciously dominate the market, the Caishi Army's gold mine has already reserved a place for them!
The historical experience of later generations has shown that the market economy will be an unstoppable torrent!
Those large companies in later generations that have truly been passed down for hundreds of years, or even hundreds of years, have all been selected by the market and consumers under the huge wave of market economy, and finally survived and achieved great success!
Although this land in Shandong was plundered and looted once by the Qing soldiers, judging from the overall situation, it was not greatly affected!
There are also a lot of wealthy tycoons, and their influence on the overall capital is not too bad!
And with the rise of Liu Ruyi's colorful stone army, wealthy gentry and wealthy businessmen from all over Shandong have also deeply felt the powerful strength of this shareholder style!
At present, their business is not limited to Shandong, but also includes Gyeonggi, Central Plains, Huguang, Nanjing, Guangdong and Guangxi, and even Nanyang and Japan. They have traces!
As the Colored Stone Army triumphed, their business also followed in the footsteps of the Colored Stone Army, rapidly penetrating in all directions of the Ming Dynasty.
From fertile farmland to clothing and jewelry, Shandong as a whole is in an era of economic blowout!
And Ma Deqiang, by virtue of his identity as a cook, became the vice president of the Lu Merchants Alliance in Caishi Town and became a legend!
"Haha! Ma Fat, Cai Hou, you two don't even know where this is? How dare you fight here?" At this time, Zhang Laocai walked into the crowd with a big belly and a smile.
"Hey! Hello, Mr. Zhang!"
"I've met Mr. Zhang!"
Everyone around him bowed and saluted Zhang Laocai.
Fatty Ma and Cai Hou did not dare to strangle him any more, and hurriedly came forward to salute Zhang Laocai.
However, although Ma Deqiang's identity did not dare to be compared with that of a rich man like Zhang Laocai, he could still talk to him. He smiled and said to Zhang Laocai: "Master Zhang, it's not that I want to fight with him to death!
Cai Hou is really annoying, picking on my old horse every day!"
Zhang Laocai couldn't help but smile and waved his hand, "Okay, Lao Ma, do I know about your little thoughts? However, normal competition between peers is fine! Don't have any bad intentions! Mr. Guo has repeatedly emphasized
, In the business field, there must be fair competition, fair competition, you have to think carefully! I have been busy with the military affairs of the Duke of An Dongwei recently, and I don’t have much time in Jinan City. You bastards, don’t give it.
I'm causing trouble! Otherwise, no one can save you!"
"Yes! Yes! Mr. Zhang, you are so right! Fair competition, fair competition! I, Lao Ma, just want to use my skills to knock Cai Hou down! Hehe!" Fatty Ma dared to talk back to Cai Hou, but
But I really didn’t dare to show off to Zhang Laocai, the Duke’s confidant, so I nodded and bowed in agreement!
Zhang Laocai then nodded and bowed his hands to everyone. Before arriving at the camp, he bowed his hands to the soldier guarding the gate and said, "Master, is it almost time? Why haven't you opened the camp gate yet?"
Although the gatekeepers are new recruits, the status of the soldiers in Caishi Town and even Shandong is extremely high. Even wealthy businessmen like Zhang Laocai have to talk to them carefully!
The gatekeeper hurriedly raised his hand to Zhang Laocai and said, "Master Zhang, please stay a little longer! There is no news from the camp yet! I will go to the camp and ask!"
"Haha! Thank you, brother! I, Lao Zhang, and my colleagues, just wait here!" Zhang Laocai smiled and held up his hands to the gatekeeper!