As night falls, there are scattered insects chirping in the back house of Pang's family. There is a subtle coolness under the big banyan tree in the yard. A handful of mugwort has just been burned under the tree to drive away the mosquitoes nearby. The strong smell of mugwort leaves has not dissipated.
go.
Pang Yu was wearing short sleeves, and he and Cheap Mom sat on a stool made of tree stumps, while fanning his mom.
"Yu'er, your father still says he won't go to Anqing."
My mother sighed, "The medicine store has been opened again these days. I have to be so busy that I don't go home until I play the evening drum every day. My mother can only accompany him every day. I have to take care of the medicine store so I can rest assured."
"
"Mom, come with me to Anqing."
Pang Yu said while fanning the air, "It's always better for a family to be together, and I feel more at ease when you are in Anqing."
"Son, take care of yourself.
Mom knows you are a good person, so you should be the general of Anqing. Others say it is Qiu Bawoli, but I know it is not the case. If my Yu'er becomes a general, he will not be called Qiu Ba."
Mom stretched out her hand to touch Pang Yu's head, then looked back at the brightly lit main room, and lowered her voice and said, "You think your mother doesn't want to enjoy life with you. Our family Yu'er has become successful, and my mother will have someone to rely on in the future. I feel happy."
Still sitting.
But if your father doesn’t want to go, mother can’t leave him alone in Tongcheng.”
Pang Yu pursed his lips, glanced at the main room and said, "It's been so long since we opened a gambling house, why can't dad still get over it?"
"He hasn't been like that his whole life."
My mother sighed and shook her head, "People all over Tongcheng praise you, but he said that a gambling stall is not good and is not run by a good person."
"If I don't open it, others will open it. As long as there is demand, someone will do it.
Even if there are no gambling stalls, gamblers will gather on their own to gamble."
My mother gently beat her knees, showing a kind expression, "It makes sense that he is not your father, isn't it? We will marry and follow each other, and we will live like this for the rest of our lives.
In fact, your father also does it for you. Although there are always people opening gambling stalls, they are harmful to people after all. Your father said that if you lose your life, we have to help you find some money to make up for it. Nowadays, the purpose of running a drug store is not to make money. Who are the neighbors?
We won't take any money from them if the medicine is missing. He is helping you to accumulate virtue. If the villagers are in trouble, we won't take any money from them, just like Sun Tianxiu before..." The cheap mother stopped as she said it, and the courtyard fell into
After a while of silence, my mother raised her head again and said, "Have you come back to see that girl?"
Pang Yu shook his head, and his mother sighed again, "I'm sorry for that girl, it's all those damned bandits who are to blame. In Tongcheng, a place that has been peaceful for hundreds of years, so many people have died in just a few days. You have been gone for a few months. There has never been anyone in the city."
I have seen so many people begging for food.
Your father is discussing with the neighbors to set up a porridge shack in the medicine shop, and I will give you more virtues..." "Mom, if you want to set up a porridge shack, you can do it. The medicine shop doesn't charge money, but this will earn you more virtues... I train security guards
Qing, I will save more than a thousand people in the future, which will naturally be a great merit, so you can rest in peace and rest without worrying about me."
Mom looked at Pang Yu and smiled and said, "I think I'm used to staying in Tongcheng for decades. The neighbors are sometimes noisy, but if I really want to leave, I really can't bear to leave.
Speaking of this neighborhood, your Aunt Liu often comes to the drug store recently and asked when she would let her daughter in."
"Passing through?"
Pang Yu stood up in surprise, "Didn't the engagement be cancelled?"
"Where did you cancel the engagement? The marriage certificate is still in Aunt Liu's hands. She has never found a partner to cancel the engagement. Why are you so confused?"
Mom rolled her eyes at Pang Yu, "You told Aunt Liu yourself to ask the Liu family to give a betrothal gift of sixty taels of silver to our family, saying that it could save the Liu family's daughter from disaster. Aunt Liu spread the news to everyone in the street, and now this Yimin
Everyone around the door knows it."
Pang Yu leaned over and tilted her head to look at her mother, "Mom, it's not like you didn't get along with Aunt Liu before, but now why are your elbows turned outwards?"
"Bah, bah, what do you mean by turning your elbows outward? Although Aunt Liu is a bit snobbish, she has gotten along well with our family over the years."
The cheap mother grabbed the cattail leaf fan in Pang Yu's hand and shook it, "After the bandits came, I saw many people died outside the city, and now I think differently. I can live with them for decades in this life."
People who have cultivated for several generations are fate, we cannot bear grudges against the Liu family."
Pang Yu said anxiously, "This is not a matter of holding grudges or not. Your son and I are now an official with a bright future. Intangible assets are expanding rapidly. I plan to package it up and sell myself at a good price. Aunt Liu will take six
Twelve taels, that’s not even the clearance price.”
My mother hit Pang Yu on the head with a cattail leaf fan, "This matter of getting married and picking up a daughter-in-law is always bought and sold. If it spreads, it will make people laugh. It's not like anyone sells himself out."
"As long as the price is good, I can't sell anything. If I sell it, it will support the army and protect the people. It is a great merit and not shameful. Who dares to laugh at me?"
Pang Yu took a step back to prevent my mother from attacking again, "I'm only eighteen this year, wouldn't it be better to wait a few more years?"
"It's not up to you.
Mother just sent you a guard to ask Aunt Liu to come over for discussion."
At this moment, a loud female voice came from outside, "Sister Pang is here!"
It was Aunt Liu's familiar smell. Pang Yu didn't know what to do. My mother had already greeted her and went in. The two of them greeted her lively in the outer courtyard.
Pang Ding hurried in from the outer courtyard, saw Pang Yu and said in a panic, "Master, Aunt Liu is here."
"Why are you panicking? It's not like bandits are coming."
Pang Yu groaned, "How come Tongcheng has such a curfew? Even Aunt Liu dares to run around. I'll ask Ruan Jin someday why he's taking care of it."
"The guards are leading the way, how can the watchman dare to ask.
Master, what should we do now?"
"Sixty taels, I'm at a loss. Let's escape to the barracks and return to Anqing early tomorrow morning."
Pang Yu looked around and saw that there was a side door in the backyard. He went over to open the latch and disappeared into the night with Pang Ding.
... At the Shengtang Ferry in Anqing, there were several red-coated soldiers standing outside the door of Dajiang Boating. Although they were sweating in the midsummer, they still stood upright, and the pedestrians passing by were far away from each other.
On the second floor of the boat shop, a group of shopkeepers from the dock stood up and said goodbye to Chen Shifu and Pang Yu.
Pang Yu also stood up and bowed politely to a group of shipyards. Only Chen Shifu sat still, taking full advantage of his official authority.
After these people left the door, Pang Yu sat back in his seat. He had been busy with financing matters since he came back from Tongcheng. Now it is almost done. Today is to borrow money from the dock at the pier.
Seeing that there were only two people left, Chen Shifu quickly put down his official authority, tightened his chest a little, and put on a respectful look.
Chen Shifu wiped the sweat from his forehead and whispered to Pang Yu from the side, "Pang Pang is satisfied with the loan amount they pledged."
Pang Yu smiled. The strength of these docks exceeded his expectation. He originally planned to borrow 35,000 taels, but Chen Shifu came forward and asked them to accept the loan. After some rubbing, the two finally came up with a total of 35,000 taels, and it seemed that
This group of people is not too strenuous.
"With Mr. Chen coming forward, they naturally don't dare not borrow it. Mr. Chen's face is great."
Chen Shifu bent over and said, "Pang Pang is so proud. These wharves are not willing to accept the weak. In the past, they had the gentry behind them and took full advantage of the wharf. Now that General Pang is here and asked them to borrow some money, they
How dare you not know how to appreciate someone?"
"When a military attaché asked them to borrow money, even if they had Ya Bank's proceeds as collateral, they wouldn't dare to borrow it because they were afraid that we, a military officer, would act arrogant and refuse to pay it back.
For Master Chen’s sake, civilian officials are more trustworthy than military attachés, so I understand this.”
Pang Yu took the tea and took a sip. When Chen Shifu saw this, he was about to get up. Pang Yu quickly continued, "In the past, the grain from the trillions of warehouses was borrowed from these docks during the lean years and sold to the south of the Yangtze River to make money. In one year, it would be enough
It is most profitable to count at this time. When the harvest is ripe in Anqing, they will replenish the trillions of grain warehouses at low prices in their respective market grain stores. Mr. Chen is their God of Wealth, how can they dare to offend Mr. Chen."
Chen Shifu smiled awkwardly. What Pang Yu said was true. Although Chen Shifu was firmly in control of him, he didn't expect that Pang Yu even found out about these things.
"Master Chen will naturally get a reward for the things he has done for me. Please don't refuse, sir."
"General Pang has worked very hard to guard Anqing, and the subordinates dare not..." Pang Yu waved his hands and said, "Let's go back to the code. Mr. Chen should be rewarded for how much help he has given. In the evening, I will have Mr. Chen's coat sent to him.
House."
After hearing this, Chen Shifu stopped arguing. He now realized that it was a good idea to do business with the despicable villain in front of him. He would not threaten him all the way just because he had the leverage, and everything would be done according to official rules.
Although that handle still made him uneasy, it was much better than it was two or three months ago. But many times he couldn't help but wonder where the two handles were kept by this little man.
"Master Chen, if you have anything else to do, go and do it."
Chen Shifu buried his head and said, "General, you can give orders now if you have anything to do."
"It's not a big deal, I just want to ask an adult to help me cut the ribbon."
"Ribbon cutting?"
Pang Yu nodded, "I saw gold, silver and copper coins of various colors being traded on the pier, so I thought of opening a money exchange business. It would also be a convenience for the merchants traveling there. I wanted to invite you to come and make a fortune, and do it decently."
Some are also paid."
Chen Shifu breathed a sigh of relief. This was indeed not a big deal, but if others had brought it up, he would not have gone. After all, he was just a businessman, and it would be beneath his status as an official to go.
"I must go, the official."
Pang Yu politely sent Chen Shifu downstairs and waited for Chen Shifu to go away before returning upstairs.
Liu Ruogu followed quickly. Pang Yu was watching the ships along the river by the window. There were more ships on the pier. Recently, it was a peak period for transporting food. Various shipping companies on the shore were rushing back and forth, and porters lined up to deliver goods.
They are all busy with their own livelihood.
Liu Ruogu walked carefully behind Pang Yu and whispered, "I have already completed the deposit for the Huaining County government office. Tomorrow, the money will be delivered to the Huaining household. The first payment is seven thousand taels."
The house deeds and land deeds in Tongcheng have also been prepared, and I will return to Tongcheng to handle the loan matter with Mr. Tang in the future."
Pang Yu hummed and looked at the river view outside the window in trance.
"I still don't understand. What is the use of borrowing this much money? The interest is not low. The two dollars at Anqing dock is the least interest. It is for two years. It is a large amount of money.
"
Pang Yu turned to look at Liu Ruogu, "The borrowed money is just for use. I want to run a profitable business, but I don't want to rely on the business to make money.
That's too slow. Who knows how long we can wait in this troubled world. I need to get the money they will earn in the future now, so I regard any business as an asset, but everyone is not used to it yet, but mortgage lending is
They are used to things, and the interest should be paid." "The villain still feels that the interest is a bit too much, but I'm afraid that two years later..." "Let's borrow it first. Money is not easy to come by, but it is easy to use it out. If you recruit
For two thousand soldiers and horses, the annual military salary is about 50,000, so we can find some ways to borrow this money again, although not all, but in this way we can get a lower-cost loan."
Liu Ruogu was stunned for a moment. He didn't understand how he could borrow money again. If he forcibly asked those Qiu Ba to borrow money, there might be a mutiny. He thought for a long time and finally asked, "Is this the new bank that your Excellency wants to open?"
"
Pang Yu nodded, "Can the redundant accountants cultivated in Baishun Hall be used?"
"There are three available, and their net worths have been checked. Two are from Taihu, and one is from Qianshan. He used to work as a bookkeeper. He escaped from the bandits and fled to Anqing. He has family members in Anqing."
"The family members sent them to Songyang and asked these three people to work at the Yinzhuang. All the money we borrowed will be placed in the Yinzhuang. The Yinzhuang will open in ten days. You will be the shopkeeper in person. From now on, military pay will be distributed through the Yinzhuang.
.”
Liu Ruogu frowned and said, "But I still don't understand how to borrow it from the sergeant again."
Pang Yu smiled and said, "It's definitely not forced."