Returning to Horseshoe Lake, the sky above our heads turned fish-belly white.
Xu Mu rubbed his neck, and as soon as he got out of the car, he found Jiang Caiwei and several village women, Mrs. Lian, preparing breakfast.
"Xu Lang." The little maid's wife looked happy.
Xu Mu suddenly discovered that no matter where he went, as long as he returned to Zhuangzi, his little maid and wife would always have this happy expression.
"Caiwei, your health hasn't improved yet." Xu Mu walked over in two steps and held on to his body.
I still remember that day in Weicheng. In order to save the family property, the servant girl was as strong as a lioness and refused to give in.
"Xu Lang, you're much better. I'll make fish porridge later and ask Xu Lang to eat it before going to bed."
Seeing that he could no longer persuade him, Xu Mu had no choice but to nod. It was just a small job, so there would probably be no problem.
"My boss is back."
Wei Feng and the heroes from Qinglong Camp got up early and prepared to go into the mountains to cut trees.
For these old brothers, Xu Mu looked a little guilty. After all, no matter how hard he said it, he could not trap and kill the Beidi dog after all the life and death at the border.
"My boss, we and these people have said it last night. No matter what the world is like, we will follow my boss."
"After all, there is no one in the world who can lead us to beat Digou as happily as our boss."
Behind Wei Feng, hundreds of heroes from the Qinglong Battalion all nodded resolutely.
Xu Mu's expression moved slightly, but he did not refuse pretentiously. He took a few steps forward and hugged Wei Feng.
"My boss, we are going to cut down the forest. We estimate that we will be able to build a lot of wooden houses in this day. Hey, Zhang Ergou, that black boy, is already liked by girls. I wonder if I will give birth to a black baby next year.
"
Many heroes laughed loudly, and Xu Mu also smiled. What was even happier in his heart was that these veterans of Qinglong Camp were finally slowly integrating into Zhuangzi's life.
Of course, the problem of feeding a family of six hundred people is not too tight just by making wine. But after running around all night last night, Xu Mu had already figured it out. I really can't say, one day when the surnamed Hou of Guo dies, what will happen to the world again?
If there is going to be chaos, then, relying only on these people, it is very likely that we will fall into passivity.
Changshiro's side already has 50,000 troops.
However, in Xujiazhuang, the private soldiers of thousands of people were notarized, but the number of soldiers was not enough. It is a pity that the three thousand old soldiers were too many to die for the country at the border.
We need to think of some ways to recruit at least a thousand private soldiers.
"Chen Sheng." After Wei Feng and others had gone away, Xu Mu started to walk in the direction of Zhuangzi.
"Master, what's wrong?" Chen Sheng, who had a broken arm, was obviously not used to it, and even the robe on his body was dressed crookedly.
Xu Mu sighed, took two steps closer, and helped Chen Sheng straighten his robe.
"My boss, that rough lady got up early today, otherwise she would have been kneeling to help me put on my robe."
Xu Mu smiled. Everyone in Zhuangzi knew that Chen Sheng was afraid of his wife, but he kept denying her. He got too anxious and dared to break off the bamboo branches and go back to the house to beat his wife. But every time, he was kicked out in despair.
came out.
"Chen Sheng, what's going on with Zhou Zun?"
"It's time for Brother Zun to go to Lizhou. Don't worry, boss, Brother Zun is doing things very steadily."
After a moment of silence, Xu Mu nodded.
In Qinglong Camp, most people are from Lizhou, and they gather in rural camps.
This time, he specially asked Zhou Zun and Zhou Luo to bring more than thirty cavalry and horses, as well as bows and dogs, to distribute pensions to the remaining relatives in Qinglong Camp.
Although this kind of thing is a bit stupid, in any case, he is proving an attitude. As long as he is Xu Mu's men, even if they die, they will still receive pensions.
"Chen Sheng, please hurry up and build a few more kilns to bake bricks. In February, I'm afraid there will be winter snow."
"Don't worry, boss."
Chen Sheng broke his arm. From now on, he can only stay in Zhuangzi and be a little guard leader.
Xu Mu couldn't help but tremble for a while, raised his hand and patted Chen Sheng's shoulder.
…
At the end of the month, ice begins.
There was finally a slight chill in the air.
Today is the first day of the month, the day when monthly salary is paid.
Two days ago, Xu Mu sent people to cloth shops in several big cities and purchased hundreds of sets of warm robes.
This time they returned from the border and brought back more than 50,000 taels of silver and treasure, in addition to being distributed to Wei Feng and others and used as compensation.
On the wine counter, thanks to the care of the little maid and wife, there are still twenty to thirty thousand taels. Plus the share of the old gangster who was killed... In total, the entire Xujiazhuang has one hundred thousand taels on hand.
The remaining two.
He seems to be a rich man.
Of course, the most valuable thing is not the silver, but the young and strong men, the weapons and armor, and the private soldier's notarization that will not be cared about by the government.
But it is very likely that these things will turn into smoke as the troubled times continue.
"Madam has started to pay monthly salary!"
On Horseshoe Lake, a thunderous yelp finally came.
Not long after, more than a hundred villagers crowded into the huge wooden shed, and everyone had a look of joy on their faces.
As for Wei Feng and others, needless to say, the amount of money distributed by Xu Mu is enough for them to use for a long time. According to Xu Mu's intention, even if these people want to return to their hometowns and become small and wealthy landlords, he will not add more
stop.
But no one left.
A man who licks the edge of his knife only has battlefield conquests in his mind.
Jiang Caiwei was sitting on the counter, smiling slightly, looking back at Xu Mu from time to time, and then turning back again, making calculations in a familiar manner.
In the past, Xu Mu rarely participated in monthly salary payments, and most of them were left to Jiang Caiwei herself.
But after returning from the border this time, he wanted to cherish this time even more.
"Sister-in-law Lian, one, two or four dollars."
Mrs. Lian came trotting over with a smile, grabbed the money and wanted to walk back.
"Sister-in-law Lian, please bring some warm robes. If you have a few people at home, please bring a few sets with you. Your boss... specially sent someone to buy them."
“The best little boss in the world.”
Sister-in-law Lian was startled, and after she praised her, she laughed even louder. She ran back in a panic, picked up three sets of big robes and two sets of small robes, and walked back excitedly.
When the villagers in the wooden shed saw this, they all cheered. A few older men knelt down and kowtowed in Xu Mu's direction.
In previous years, when winter comes, I have no warm clothes, so I can only chop bark into pieces, or press dry grass and stuff it into the interlayer of my thin robe, just to survive the winter and not to freeze to death in a daze.
Xu Mu asked the kneeling people to stand up first. He could understand the gratitude of these people. In these years, cotton cultivation was not yet popular. At most, outsiders would bring some to the southwest border of Ji Dynasty.
The rich had furs and silk and linen to keep out the cold, while the poor had nothing.
"Shen thirty thousand, six cents."
"Ma Xiaoyun, six dollars."
"Ma Xiaoteng, one penny. I should learn from your brother. If you miss work again, you will be kicked out of Zhuangzi. Do you understand?" Jiang Caiwei pretended to be angry.
"Madam, please don't drive me away. I know, I understand."
"I'll lend you three dollars to buy some good food for my children."
…
I don't know how long it took before Xu Mu walked out of the wooden shed, raised his head and looked at the dark sky.
To be honest, there are many things he wants to do, such as transplanting cotton to the southwestern Xinjiang, trying to refine perfume, or copying a few poems that have been popular through the ages and posting them on the front of Chengcheng Academy.
Lose the teeth of those bullshit scholars.
But these are all matters of the prosperous age.
But in front of him, there was already a chaotic world.