At the poetry meeting, Lu Zizhong's aggressive performance once made Xu Mu feel a greater sense of crisis.
The original plan of rushing back to Tangjiang was temporarily abandoned, and while there was still plenty of time, I simply went there in person to collect the first round of grain.
With Mr. Chang's jade plaque, I guess it won't be a big problem.
"Brother Mu, is it called Changjiazhen?"
Changjia Town is where Changji Grain Store is located. I heard that in this huge town, with a population of nearly several thousand, except for some hired workers, almost all of them are Chang family members.
Using one's own efforts to organize business into a town, let alone the inner city area, is rare even if we look at the entire Daji Dynasty.
After traveling less than fifty miles from Chengcheng, we came across Changjia Town at the foot of a mountain surrounded by mountains and rivers.
There were at least dozens of Chang family guards coming and going, patrolling back and forth along the rural roads outside the town.
In this situation, I guess there is no need for officials to take charge.
"Are you buying food? Why don't you go to the small farm to have a look?" The leader of the patrol was a tall and thin man. Seeing Xu Mu's broken carriage and three or four villagers who were not worthy of being on the stage, his face showed a sneer.
There is snobbery everywhere, which is very annoying.
Xu Mu was too lazy to talk nonsense and directly took out the jade token. The tall and thin man was so shocked that he took a few steps back and let the person in.
"Zhou Zun, remember to park the carriage."
Since there was still business to do in the future, Xu Mu gave him a warning as soon as he entered the city.
"My boss, the man at the horse stable over there knew that I was waiting to collect grain. Not only did he not collect money, he also helped feed the horses."
Not long after, Zhou Zun ran back happily. After so many trips to collect grain, it seemed that this round was the most comfortable.
"Natural." Xu Mu smiled.
When we open the door for business, everyone who comes is a guest. Without this insight, Changjia Town would not be able to expand its business on such a large scale.
"Brother Mu, it would be great if our wine shop could become such a big town."
Xu Mu paused.
He didn't want to think about it, but notarizing such a large land deed alone would cost hundreds of thousands of taels. In addition, there would be stone and wood to build the town, and hiring workers, which would be another huge expense.
Moreover, even if a town is built by then, without the influx of people and craftsmen, it will become a dead town before long.
I wanted to think about it, but Xu Mu still had expectations in his heart.
"My boss, I asked, the grain is collected in the private workshop ahead."
Officials have their own official houses, and the people have their own private houses. An astonishingly large household like Changjia Town can probably handle many things on its own.
As per the old rules, as soon as he walked to the front of the Minfang, Xu Mu offered the jade token.
The old man who registered at the private square raised his wrinkled face and looked at Xu Mu several times before silently standing up and walking towards the private square.
"Why is this jade sign so incomprehensible?"
If they weren't well-informed, the patrol team outside the town wouldn't have acted surprised.
Xu Mu thought of a possibility and adjusted his clothes speechlessly. Sure enough, in less than a moment, Mr. Chang walked out leisurely with his hands behind his back, following the old man from Minfang.
After hesitating for a moment, Xu Mu bowed and saluted.
"It's a coincidence. As soon as I came back, my little boss arrived on the back."
The implication was as if Xu Mu was licking his face and following along.
"Mr. Chang, it's really a lucky day." Xu Mu's tone remained unchanged.
"Come on, don't stop being 'Mr. Chang'. Since you are here to collect grain, you can be considered a guest of my Changji Grain Store. Just call me Shiro."
Changshiro raised his head and glanced at the sky above his head.
"Come in, I'll buy you a cup of tea."
Xu Mu was startled, and suddenly realized that the young master of the Chang family in front of him didn't seem too bad. At least, he was much better than a bad ruffian like Lu Zizhong.
"Uncle Fu, take the villagers from my little boss's house to get hundreds of carts of grain."
After saying this, Chang Silang continued to carry Xu Mu with his hands behind his back and walked to the tea table in front of the Minfang.
As soon as he sat down, Chang Shiro skillfully pinched the tea cake, took the hot water from the cauldron, poured it down, brewed half a cup, and slowly pushed it in front of Xu Mu.
In his previous life, due to socializing, Xu Mu also knew some principles of tea ceremony. With light tea and full wine, you can see the attitude of the host.
"I'm a little curious." Chang Shiro blew the hot air from the tea cup, "Where did the little boss get the confidence to be able to take over the four major households in Tangjiang City?"
This sentence really gets straight to the point.
"My wine is good." Xu Mu said concisely.
Changshiro looked funny, "Is this the reason?"
"That's enough. I will find a way to let everyone in the world know that my wine is indeed good."
"Tsk, you are quite interesting. I seem to be selling a hundred carts of grain at a reasonable price. But...that's not why I invited you to tea."
"Just ask and you will know. My temperament, Tsuneshiro, rarely makes tea for people myself."
"Things outside of business?"
Changshiro smiled and said, "Last night, I listened to a good poem."
"When autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month, when the flowers bloom, hundreds of flowers will bloom. The incense array will penetrate the sky and the sun will shine through, and the whole city will be filled with golden armor."
Xu Mu frowned and couldn't figure out how Chang Silang knew about this matter. Fan Gu and Wang Yun probably wouldn't sell him out so quickly.
"Stop guessing, I have someone else." Chang Shiro leaned lazily on the mahogany chair.
"To tell you the truth, little boss, at least eight gentlemen invited me to the cultural festival and poetry meeting last night, but I didn't even bother to go."
"Why?"
Changshiro laughed even more happily, "Why should I play with those fools? I can compose a few poems, but I can't eat them as food. Besides, my temperament doesn't like making fun of others."
"It seems that Mr. Chang doesn't like poetry."
"You are wrong again, I like it very much." Chang Shiro narrowed his eyes, "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Xingwu, I was the number one scholar in the imperial palace."
At this sentence, it was Xu Mu's turn to be confused.
"At that time, the prime minister asked me to compose a poem in the palace to praise his achievements." A sneer appeared on Chang Shiro's face, "I was silent for a long time, and finally I farted, and the civil and military officials in the court were frightened. If it hadn't been for me,
I will give you one hundred thousand taels later, so I guess my head will be moved."
"Why are you telling me such things? You also know that I am just a small boss in Tangjiang City."
"It has nothing to do with business. I simply like that sentence, the whole city is full of golden armor. For a long time, no one in the twenty-three counties of the inner city dared to write such a thing."
Xu Mu's face was solemn. If this awkward conversation continues, he might start plotting a rebellion. This Chang Shiro is really fucking wild.
"Come on, I know it's not easy for you to lead the villagers two thousand miles to the inner city." Chang Shilang stretched his waist, "You go out by yourself, remember to give the money to Uncle Fu."
"Hey, always remember that the food store does not accept credit."
Xu Mu nodded and stood up. Before he had taken a few steps, Chang Shiro's voice sounded again from behind.
"My little boss, if one day you are cornered by the four major households, come to Changjia Town to find me, and I will give you a bite to eat."
"Of course, you have to rely on your ability to make this meal. If you can't eat well, you may lose your head."
Xu Mu paused, feeling that this young master from Changjia Town was getting more and more weird.