Sheng Hong was sitting in the main seat in the front hall, complaining: "Hey, didn't I tell you that Zhuang Xuexue went to have fun on his own, so you kids don't have to go there. The weather is very cold."
Qin Hao and Qi Heng looked at each other and smiled: "What did Uncle Sheng say? We have troubled the Sheng Mansion for a year, but we just came to pay our respects today, so what's the big deal."
"Haha, okay, it's rare for you to come here, so let's have lunch here." Sheng Hong stroked his beard and said with a satisfied smile.
Then Sheng Hong began to discuss calligraphy with Qin Hao and others. Sheng Changfeng was inevitably taught a lesson because his handwriting was the worst among the four.
Qi Heng was also very envious of Qin Hao's facial expressions: "I'm ashamed to say that my nephew Chi's eldest son Han is four years old. Zi Han's calligraphy already has the potential of a famous calligraphy, but I can't help but be impressed."
Qin Hao said with a smile: "No, no, Wang Youjun's handwriting is naturally talented and rich. I can't write such words. I just have more experience in facial expressions."
Sheng Changfeng finally found an excuse and said quickly: "Yes, I don't dare to practice Wang Youjun's calligraphy for fear of being discouraged."
"You're just being lazy." Sheng Changbai complained.
"Haha~~~" Everyone looked at each other and laughed.
The backyard is also very lively. Mrs. Yu and her family also came to visit today, and they also brought Yu Yanran, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, who was playing in the backyard.
Of course, Ru Lan and Mo Lan's thoughts were no longer in the backyard. Their eyes kept drifting to the front hall. Wang Ruofu glared at Ru Lan several times. Unfortunately, her daughter did not see it at all, which made Wang Ruofu
Very embarrassed.
Minglan actually had a lot of fun with Yu Yanran. The two were similar in age and had long been in love with each other.
After a while, someone came from the front hall and reported back to the old lady of the Sheng family: "Old lady, today the master is leaving the young marquis and the young prince to have lunch together. It's almost time to start the banquet."
Mrs. Yu asked with a smile: "But the two young masters from Dongchang Houfu and Qi Guogongfu?"
Wang Ruofu couldn't help but feel proud secretly, but he said: "Exactly, these two children are also true. They just studied at my house for a year, and Zhuang Xuexue was not here. It's so cold that they still have to come here."
.”
Old Mrs. Yu smiled with envy. Qin Hao was born this year and has attracted a lot of attention in the distinguished circles of Bianjing City. He has become as famous as Qi Heng.
Those who have girls of the right age at home want to recruit Qin Hao as their son-in-law, and those who have boys at home can use it to "motivate" their own dandy children, as well as other people's children.
Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't stand Wang Ruofu's face, and waved her hands and said: "It's other people's children who are trying to succeed. Speaking of which, it's also our parents, Bai and Chang Feng, who are taking advantage of others. I heard that this year's schoolwork has been reduced."
I have improved a lot."
"That's not necessarily true. As the saying goes, birds follow the phoenix and fly far away, and when people are accompanied by virtuous people, they are proud of themselves. It is still true that the Sheng family has a good family tradition." Mrs. Yu praised her.
Wang Ruofu's originally embarrassed face suddenly turned into a smile. She liked hearing this.
Seeing her look like this, Mrs. Sheng couldn't help shaking her head secretly, but she didn't say anything else.
Soon it was lunch time, and a screen was set up in the front hall. In ancient times, men and women had to sit separately. The female family members were inside the screen, and Qin Hao's table was outside the screen.
Before leaving the table, Qin Hao and Qi Heng came across the screen to greet Mrs. Sheng.
Mrs. Yu finally saw Qin Hao and Qi Heng, and her eyes couldn't help but drift to her granddaughter Yanran.
Mrs. Sheng kindly helped the two of them up: "It's cold here, so there's no need to be so polite."
Qin Hao and Qi Heng met with Mrs. Yu and Wang Ruofu before retreating.
But as soon as the two of them left, the souls of Mo Lan and Ru Lan were also taken away. They both ate absentmindedly, their eyes drifting to the screen from time to time, as if they had clairvoyant eyes that could see through the screen.
Minglan started eating and drinking without any scruples. The girl now looked like a hamster eating crazily. Her chubby face and cheeks also bulged, which made Mrs. Yu laugh out loud.
"This girl is the most interesting to have by your side."
Minglan's good interest in eating was instantly broken when she was told this. She could only pretend to be shy and lower her head, lamenting in her heart.
"My sauced elbow, my steamed sea bass..."
Seeing her look like this, Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but burst into laughter, and it was rare for her to burst into laughter.
Sheng Hong glanced behind him in surprise.
The meal was enjoyed by both the guests and the host. After sitting for a while, Qin Hao and Qi Heng left. Mrs. Yu also took Yu Yanran back home.
The Sheng Mansion returned to calm, but it was only calm on the surface.
Seeing Ru Lan's distraught appearance, Wang Ruofu decided to test Sheng Hong's attitude again.
"Sir, the house hasn't been so lively for a long time. Why don't you have a few more drinks today?"
Sheng Hong waved his hand: "How can we have a drink with a few children? It's just a couple of drinks."
"How about we drink together as husband and wife?" Wang Ruofu said and asked Liu's mother to prepare wine and food.
Sheng Hong became interested and agreed. After a few glasses of wine, Wang Ruofu pretended to sigh.
"Oh, these days go by so fast. One year has passed in the blink of an eye, and the children are also one year older."
Sheng Hong also nodded with deep understanding: "Yes, we made three mistakes when we moved to Bianjing. Now thinking about the situation of being a judge in Yangzhou, it seems like just yesterday."
Wang Ruofu gave her husband another glass of wine: "Guardian, seeing that the daughters in our family are all grown up now, and it's time to talk about marriage in a few years, shouldn't we make plans early?"
Sheng Hong hesitated: "Aren't you still young now? The eldest Mo Lan is only 11 years old."
When Wang Ruofu saw that her husband's first thought was Mo Lan, he couldn't help but be secretly jealous. However, she had a bigger plan, so she could only suppress it first and continue to induce her.
"You're not young anymore. This marriage is no less than a second reincarnation for your daughter's family. The officials and families in Bianjing City all start looking at each other from a very early age. If you wait until you are of the right age to look for someone, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a suitable one.
Already."
Sheng Hong thought about it and said, "Well, in that case, Mrs. Lao will look at you first, and I will also pay attention."
Although Sheng Hong didn't treat his children equally, he was still unambiguous about life-long matters.
Wang Ruofu was secretly happy when he saw this, and put some side dishes into his husband's bowl: "My lord, I'm afraid I didn't see it today, but the old lady Yu stared at the young marquis and the young master for a long time, I'm afraid she meant to do something for her.
Her granddaughter is looking at me sweetly."
Sheng Hong was not stupid. He reacted immediately and frowned: "I told you before that our family's family status is not high enough. Why are you still thinking about it?"
Wang Ruofu refused to give up and said: "Guardian, I know that we are high-ranking, but the young marquis and the young prince are really rare talents. You see, they only attended our family for one year, and the scholar Zhuang has no words to praise.
He will definitely have a bright future in the future. Is the official willing to hand over such a good candidate for son-in-law to someone like this?"
Sheng Hong was struggling a little in his heart. To be honest, he was very optimistic about Qin Hao and Qi Heng. But because of this, he knew how many people were paying attention to them. With the status of the Sheng family, what could he do with them?
Fight?
"Okay, please stop thinking about this matter. Our family is not that lucky!" Sheng Hong stood up and left without any explanation.
Wang Ruofu was so angry that he swept away all the food and wine on the table afterwards, becoming a table-cleaning master.
Sheng Hong came out of Wang Ruofu's place and came to Lin Qige. It turned out that Lin Xiaoniang told him the same thing.
Sheng Hong scolded Lin Xiaoniang, and then went straight to sleep in another concubine's room.
In Shou'an Hall, the old lady was teaching Minglan a lesson.
"You will be 10 years old soon. You can't eat and drink like this anymore, otherwise your body will be out of shape in the future. You also need to comb your hair into a bun. You can't be so casual anymore."
Minglan lamented that the days of pretending to be stupid and good will be gone forever.
On the other side, Mrs. Qin Liu is also worried. Every New Year's Day is like passing a customs for her, the eldest lady of the Dongchang Hou Mansion. Not counting the exchanges of favors, just the receipts from the Chu Pavilion of Qin House after the Lantern Festival.
It gave her a headache.
The Dongchang Hou Mansion has been in decline for a long time since the death of the old Marquis. However, Qin Junye is used to spending a lot of money. He often spends a lot of money outside and talks about the Marquis's ostentation. These Qin Lou and Chu Palaces also know that Xun Gui's family is most concerned about face, and they don't know how to do it.
If you refuse to pay, you only need to sign the bill at ordinary times, and after the Lantern Festival, you will come to the door to settle the bill.
"Why is mother sighing?" As soon as Qin Hao entered the door, he saw Mrs. Qin Liu sighing there.
Mrs. Qin Liu forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. Brother Hao is back. Are you tired? Let's rest for a while and talk to my mother."
Mrs. Qin Liu was quite satisfied with this son. He could earn face for himself and was filial. He was praised by people wherever he went.
Qin Hao said seriously: "Mother, are you still treating me like a naughty boy?"
Seeing this, Mrs. Qin Liu sighed: "Brother Hao, it's not that my mother doesn't want to tell you, but you should focus on your studies now. When you become a Jinshi in high school, our Dongchang Hou Mansion will have hope.
It will get better.”
Qin Hao shook his head and asked, "Does the mother want to wait until the child becomes an official before leaving the mess of the Hou Mansion in the child's hands?"
"This..." Qin Liu was immediately asked.
Qin Hao took the opportunity to say: "Mom, running away is not the way to go when I encounter a problem. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get back. It may also hinder my future in the future."
Mrs. Qin Liu was shocked. Her whole life's hopes were pinned on her son. How could she hinder her son's future?
So Qin Liu told Qin Hao about the financial situation of Dongchang Hou Mansion.
To put it bluntly, they just couldn’t make ends meet. When the old Marquis was here, the Dongchang Hou Mansion had a lot of properties, but later they were almost completely defeated. It wasn’t all Qin Junye’s fault. There were also several people from the second and third houses.
He is also an expert at chewing up the old.
"Now the property in the mansion only has two silk and satin shops, one restaurant, three powder shops and some land. It seems like a lot, but it can't sustain such a large expenditure."
Qin Hao nodded and asked: "How much foreign debt does the family still owe now?"
The Hou Mansion of Dongchang could not make ends meet and was able to maintain its dignity for so many years. It mainly relied on cash flow. The output of several shops was not bad, plus the income from the land. But even so, it was inevitable to borrow foreign debts.
Mrs. Qin Liu wiped her tears and said, "I owe a total of eighty-seven thousand guan."
Qin Hao couldn't help but was speechless. In the Song Dynasty, copper coins were the main currency in circulation. A regular coin was one thousand copper coins. According to the calculation that a regular coin is equal to one tael of silver, that means he owed 87,000 taels of silver.
It doesn't seem like much, but if you consider the purchasing power, it's quite scary. According to the current prices, one stone of rice costs 700 fen, which means that 120 kilograms of rice only costs 700 fen.
The foreign debt owed by the Dongchang Hou Mansion can buy 124,000 shi of rice, which is 14.91 million jins when converted into kilograms.
Qin Hao was speechless. He had seen cheating on his father, but never such a cheating on his son. If he hadn't asked, he wouldn't have known that he had become a second-generation negative.
No, he has to make money, otherwise this debt will fall on him in the future.
Of course, Qin Hao was not too panicked. As a time traveler, the most important thing he lacked was the means to make money.
"Mother, can you give me some carpenters and blacksmiths?" Qin Hao thought for a moment and said to Qin Liu.
Qin Liu asked in confusion: "Brother Hao, what do you want with these?"
"Of course it's to make money!" Qin Hao said seriously.
Mrs. Qin Liu burst out laughing: "You kid made me happy again."
Qin Hao didn't speak, but looked at her seriously. The smile on Qin Liu's face gradually solidified, and she said hurriedly.
"Brother Hao, please don't let your mind wander. Mother has to figure out how to deal with money. At worst, she can still make ends meet by selling some dowry. You are a scholar, how can you manage such a lowly business?"
Qin Hao said seriously: "Mother is worrying too much. The child is only making suggestions. Other production and sales are still handled by the mother. The child will not come forward in person."
"But...why does Brother Hao need some craftsmen?" Qin Liu breathed a sigh of relief and then asked again.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Qin Hao gave up: "My mother will know afterward."
Qin Liu couldn't resist and had to call several carpenters and blacksmiths from the mansion.
"I have met the eldest lady, little Marquis." Six or seven craftsmen stood cautiously in the hall and saluted, not daring to raise their heads.
Qin Hao asked in a low voice: "Are these people reliable?"
Mrs. Qin Liu nodded: "They are all born in the same family."
Those who are born in a family have been working as servants in the mansion since their ancestors. They hold the deeds of prostitution of their parents and relatives in their hands, so their loyalty is naturally much higher than that of ordinary people.
Qin Hao nodded with satisfaction and led the craftsmen back to his small courtyard.
In the next two days, I heard the sound of jingling bells coming from Qin Hao's small courtyard.
Two days later, a huge iron pot appeared in the small yard. There was also a hand rocker for stirring in the iron pot, a huge wooden barrel, and some molds.
That's right, what Qin Hao wants to do is make soap.
The reason why I choose to use soap is also very simple. Firstly, soap is low-cost to make and easy to mass-produce. Secondly, the demand is high. In the Song Dynasty, the most common washing supplies were saponin. The washing effect of this thing is far inferior to that of soap. This is a piece of soap.
The blue ocean market is highly profitable. Thirdly, there are no rich and powerful people involved in this industry, so you won’t steal anyone’s cake and make enemies with others.
Qin Liu also came over after hearing the news, and saw Qin Hao asking the craftsman to set up an iron pot, add water to it, and then add a bucket of oil sludge. The oil sludge is the precipitate of lard after cooling. The reason why lard was chosen was this stuff.
Cheap.
In the Song Dynasty, the main foods eaten were mutton and beef. Pork was a cheap meat, and only common people would buy it to satisfy their cravings.
Making soap is not that particular. Of course, use whatever is cheap.
Mrs. Qin Liu was confused, and the maids and grandmothers following behind her were also full of doubts.
And as the temperature in the pot increased, an unpleasant smell made everyone subconsciously take a few steps back, and they could only cover their mouths and noses to shield themselves.
Qingmei covered Qin Hao's nose with a handkerchief, while holding her breath. After a while, her chest rose and fell violently, and she couldn't help but cough. The smell was really overpowering.
Qin Hao took her hand away and motioned her to take care of herself. Instead, he walked a few steps closer to observe the situation in the iron pot.
At this time, the temperature in the iron pot was already very high, and the oil sludge had all broken apart and merged with the water. Seeing this, Qin Hao asked the craftsman to pour a large piece of caustic soda into it.
Speaking of which, it took Qin Hao a lot of effort to make this caustic soda. In later generations, this stuff was a chemical product and could be purchased, but in the Song Dynasty, he had to make it himself.
The main costs of caustic soda are "sodium bicarbonate" and "calcium oxide". "Sodium bicarbonate" is baking soda. The method of making it is to mix salt and sugar, then add a certain proportion of flour and a small amount of water, and stir until
It's fine without any moisture.
"Calcium oxide" is actually quicklime and can be purchased directly.
Heat quicklime and react to turn it into lime slurry. Add baking soda and continue stirring. After cooling and standing still, you can obtain caustic soda.
To ancient people who had never learned chemistry, all this was as mysterious as Taoist priests refining elixirs. No one knew what Qin Hao's purpose was, and it was easy to keep it secret.
With the addition of caustic soda, the smell in the air became even weirder, and Qin Liu had almost retreated to the entrance of the courtyard.
At this time, Qin Hao had already asked the craftsman to drive the rocker arm to fully stir the mixture in the pot.
As the water in the pot continues to evaporate, the liquid in the pot gradually becomes thicker and the color gradually turns yellow-brown.
Qin Hao watched it for a while and asked the craftsman to add edible salt and stir thoroughly.
"Extinguishing."
After the craftsman put out the fire quickly, the liquid in the pot gradually cooled down over time.
After almost an hour and a half, the liquid in the pot had become very viscous, and Qin Hao asked the craftsmen to mold the semi-finished soap.
After another two hours of waiting, Qin Hao personally knocked the soap out of one of the molds and handed it to Qin Liu.
Qin Liu touched the soap and it felt smooth and tender, but she didn't know what it was for and looked at Qin Hao with confusion on her face.
Qin Hao asked someone to get a basin of water, and then said to the craftsman who had just watched the fire: "Come here."
The craftsman came over cautiously. Qin Hao pressed the craftsman's hand, put it into water to wet it, and then rubbed his hand with soap.
A magical scene appeared. The hands that were originally full of dirt became extremely clean just by rubbing them gently.
The originally clear water was now turbid, with some soap bubbles floating on it.
"What do you think of this, mother? Will it sell well?" Qin Hao looked at Qin Liu with a smile.
Mrs. Qin Liu's expression changed, and she glanced at everyone present with a stern look: "If anyone reveals a word about today's events, they will be killed along with all their relatives!"
The servants were so frightened that they fell to their knees on the ground, trembling.
