At the city gate, Xu Liqiu was very moved as he took the wine and meat from Chen Mo's hand.
But he didn't say any words of thanks, he just kept the friendship in his heart and told Xu Lidong to treat Chen Mo as his brother from now on.
Chen Mo left the charcoal store halfway through its opening. Afterwards, Mrs. Wang did not ask anyone to search for it. She just told Xu Lidong to drive a carriage and wait here.
After the three of them exchanged greetings, Chen Mo got on the carriage. During the chat on the road, he also learned about the origins and experiences of the two brothers from Xu Lidong's mouth.
Both parents died, and the two depended on each other. Later, the elder brother came to the border town to serve in the army, and the younger brother also came over. After several people asked for help, he joined a dental shop as a clerk.
Is it bitter?
bitter!
But there is no other way, I have to live.
The Great Chu Kingdom looks like a peaceful and prosperous time, but in fact it is suffering from internal and external troubles. Although the overall situation is relatively stable, it has begun to affect people's livelihood.
"I would rather be a peace dog than a man in troubled times. I hope there will be no war disasters, otherwise only the common people will suffer."
This topic was too heavy, so after sighing, Chen Mo changed the subject.
"Lidong, have you read any books?"
"Mr. Hui, my brother read it for a few days when he was not in the army, and then he gave it up." Xu Lidong told the truth.
"I'll tell Grandma Wang later to give you as much free time as possible and continue reading." Chen Mo knew the importance of reading.
"Sir, I appreciate Mr. Lidong's kindness, but I won't read the book." Xu Lidong shook his head.
"Why?" Chen Mo was puzzled.
"Sir, you don't know. In the past few days, the staff of the charcoal shop have read your deeds several times. Even your husband has retreated on the road to fame. In the beginning of winter, he doesn't even dare to have extravagant hopes."
"People are different, and the paths they take are naturally different."
Chen Mo couldn't tell the truth, and he couldn't say he was afraid of being slapped by the deputy prime minister, so he could only pretend to be preaching.
"Reading can help you understand reason, understand things, and understand righteousness. Even if you don't pursue fame in the future, you can still apply what you have learned to other places. This is the meaning of reading."
"Lidong knows I'm wrong, but it's up to my husband's arrangement." Xu Lidong quickly expressed his position.
"..."
Chen Mo nodded and said no more.
"By the way, sir, this is the fifty taels of silver that Mrs. Wang asked me to hand over. Please keep it." The carriage arrived at the entrance of the village, and Xu Lidong took out a money bag.
"What money?"
Chen Mo is short of money now, but he must find out why.
"Wang Po said that this is the money for leasing fifty acres of land back to Longwan. She also said that no matter who asks in the future, my husband has no direct relationship with the charcoal kiln."
"Go back and tell Grandma Wang that I accept this love."
Chen Mo didn't refuse and took the money directly.
Now that the charcoal shop has opened, Mrs. Wang will soon get rich returns.
Of course, the premise is to resolve the problems in Baijiazhuang, otherwise the logs for burning charcoal will have to be purchased elsewhere.
According to Wang Papi's moral judgment, he would have to come to the door within two days at the latest.
However, what Chen Mo didn't expect was that as soon as he got off the carriage and turned a corner, he saw many villagers gathered around the door, all looking worried.
Chen Mo knew their purpose of coming, and also knew that no one could make the final decision, so after greeting them politely, he strode into the courtyard.
Sure enough, Wang Fuxing was waiting.
"Official, you are back. The village chief and the neighbors have been waiting for you for a long time."
Seeing Chen Mo, Qin Xianglian's eyes lit up and she hurriedly stepped forward and whispered a few words.
"Officials, they look like they are raising an army to investigate the crime. Nothing will happen, right?"
"Don't worry, I'm here." Chen Mo said, taking out the meat from his arms and burning it, "I bought it specially for you. I was afraid of the cold so I kicked it in my arms. Don't dislike it."
"Officials, servants..."
Qin Xianglian's eyes turned slightly red when she was moved.
"Chen Mo, you are cruel, you are really cruel."
When Chen Mo came in without saying hello, Wang Fuxing, who was already filled with hatred, finally couldn't help but burst out and started questioning him.
"What are your intentions in ignoring nostalgia and hooking up with outsiders? All the hard work of the whole village has been ruined by you, a rip-off."
"What does the chief mean by this?" Chen Mo pretended to be stupid.
"You still have the nerve to ask, don't you know about the opening of Wang's Charcoal Store?" Wang Fuxing looked ferocious.
"Wang's Charcoal Shop?" Chen Mo blinked his eyes and said in a pretentious tone, "I understand. The head of the village opened the Charcoal Shop because he was blaming me for not going to congratulate you."
"Fart." Wang Fuxing kicked his head angrily, "Let me ask you, where have you been today?"
"County town, what's wrong?"
"What did you do in the county seat?" Wang Fuxing asked firmly.
"Buy meat biscuits." Chen Mo pointed to the side, "Xianlian said she wanted to eat some in the morning, so I went to buy them, right?"
"That's right." Qin Xianglian nodded quickly, "The slave family was greedy, so the officials went to the county seat. By the way, Chief, do you want one?"
"I……"
Wang Fuxing was so angry. The key was that he didn't have a direct handle on Chen Mo, so he could only go back to the topic.
"Chen Mo, let's open the skylight and speak frankly. Because of the opening of Wang's Charcoal Store, the whole village's charcoal is burned in vain. The more we sell, the more we will pay."
"Let's not mention your connection with Mrs. Wang. Let's just say that as a member of this village, we have the obligation and responsibility to help make suggestions and reduce losses."
"What does it have to do with me?" Chen Mo shrugged and spread his hands.
"Because you are a scholar and you must respect nostalgia and morality." Wang Fuxing began to criticize him.
"Okay, then let me tell you a way." Seeing that the heat has arrived, Chen Mo raised his hand and pointed to the south of the village, "Isn't there a charcoal kiln in Huilong Bay? You can just sell it there."
This is what Wang Fuxing was waiting for. Now he has thought clearly. Since he can't make long-term wealth, he can only make a small sum of money.
The charcoal kiln was dug by the whole village, the charcoal was burned by everyone, and the logs belonged to other people's houses. He had nothing to lose except for talking about it.
On the contrary, regardless of how much money was sold to the Huilongwan charcoal kiln, Wang Fuxing had to control it. As for how much he distributed to his neighbors, it all depended on whether his family's abacus was good or bad.
All the neighbors also expressed their approval. Firstly, if you sell more and sell less, you will get money, which is better than dying in your hands. Secondly, you really can't afford to offend Wang Fuxing, a bastard.
Since he had no objection, Chen Mo nodded.
"Then I will make a trip to help everyone. Of course, I will do my best to help my neighbors get the highest price."
Back at the Longwan Charcoal Kiln, Mrs. Wang had already sent a person in charge. Under Chen Mo's instructions, she ridiculed and beat Wang Fuxing before reluctantly agreeing to the acquisition.
Of course, the price has also been pushed to the limit.
Chen Mo couldn't bear it when he saw the fellow villagers complaining, but in order to get rid of Wang Papi in one fell swoop in the future, he could only pretend not to see it.
He can pretend not to see it, but some people can't.