There is actually not a single book inside, only a Taishi chair, a large mahogany table, some antiques placed on the Duobao Pavilion behind it, and some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, which is a bit of embellishment.
Just arty.
There are four additional chairs placed opposite each other, and the two chairs in the middle are placed side by side. There is a small table between the chairs, which is where guests sit and drink tea.
Wei Bancheng sat in the main seat, Yang Fan sat next to him, and there was another man wearing a scholar's robe sitting at the bottom.
This man is thin and somewhat hunchbacked. He is about forty years old.
He has high cheekbones, seemingly no flesh on his cheeks, a pair of mouse eyes, a goatee on his chin, small sparkling eyes, and a somewhat sinister temperament.
Wei Bancheng introduced that it was his master Ruan Zhuqing, a scholar.
Yang Fan curled his lips inwardly. He didn't know if his real name was Zhuqing. If he remembered correctly, he was a small but very poisonous green snake.
Yang Fan said what he said to the little fat man again, and he did not hide anything about the subsequent incident. To be honest, the little fat man knew it anyway, and he would know everything when asked later.
"Actually, I just have better luck. It's nothing special," Yang Fan said modestly.
When the master heard him mention Tushan and his daughter, his ears obviously perked up. His expression towards him also changed a lot.
Five horses, four heads, four suits of armor, weapons, and silver. This is not a small fortune. Dongchang's gossip is enough to calm this green snake. If he gets impulsive, he will not treat everyone.
alright.
"Brother, how old are you, my elder brother? If you don't mind, how about we behave like brothers?" Wei Bancheng seems to be very upright and worldly, but his eyesight is shrewd, which shows that this person is rough but fine.
"Then I've overstepped my bounds. Brother Wei thinks highly of me, and I can't get what I want." Yang Fan said.
"Hahaha, why should my brother be so polite? I don't know what my future plans are now that I have left the world. As long as I, Wei, can do it, I will try my best."
Yang Fan understood that he was a person of unknown origin and was implicated in Dongchang. This was not something he could do with a rich man like Wei Bancheng. There were too many shady things in the local power.
Wei Bancheng just wanted to repay the favor and make good friends. As long as the demands he made were not excessive, Wei Bancheng would probably be satisfied.
"This little brother is entering the world of society for the first time, so he must have an identity. I wonder if Brother Wei has any friends in the government who can help him get a household registration in Zunhua."
"That's no problem, it's a trivial matter and nothing," Wei Bancheng said.
Yang Fan thought about it, and it seemed that this was too small a job, so he had to find someone bigger to trouble Brother Wei, so that both of them could feel at ease.
I found a total of more than sixty taels of silver from these Tatars. I need to buy at least a house or a shop in Zunhua and solve the problem of food first.
Yang Fan comes from a rural area and knows how to do farm work, but when it comes to buying land, he has too little money. I asked the little fat man that one acre of dry land cannot harvest five pecks of rice a year. In the past two years, it has been cold and there have been droughts, and the output has been even worse.
, it is becoming increasingly pitiful, and just one acre of land costs three taels of silver.
Planting on dry land may result in loss of money.
If it is irrigated land or good land with canals for irrigation, the price will rise all of a sudden. This kind of land has a guaranteed harvest despite droughts and floods, so it is very popular and no one is willing to sell it.
At least ten taels.
Paddy fields are more expensive because rice is highly productive, and the yield per mu can generally be two to three quintals. If wheat and rice are harvested twice, the yield per mu can be four to five quintals.
There is no one to sell this kind of land. In a dark society like the late Ming Dynasty, people without background and power cannot hold on to good land. Instead, they bring disaster to themselves.
Moreover, Yang Fan understood how heavy the burden was on farmers in the late Ming Dynasty, and it was better to leave a promising career like farming to others.
"I want to build a blacksmith shop in the city. I have the strength and can forge iron. I can also recruit a few apprentices to make some daily necessities. I can settle down first."
"Our Zunhua is a steel city in the north of the Ming Dynasty. People in this city are basically engaged in iron-related industries. This is also a way out. How about this? I have a blacksmith shop in the northeast corner of the city. Back then,
I came here to pay off debts, and I didn't have time to take care of it, so it was half-dead. There was also a small iron mine on a hill outside the city, and there were forty-five households of slaves. It turned out to be a craftsman's shop, and the original owner moved it together with the blacksmith shop.
Everyone who comes here has a personal deed and is given to Brother Yang." Wei Bancheng said.
"Why are you so embarrassed? I'd better ask the elder brother to make a price, and the younger brother can buy it," Yang Fan declined.
"Hahaha, your eldest brother, my family has a big business. I own one-third of the shops in this city. The Sa family is a rough man. He doesn't have the patience to do small businesses. There are many businesses that cannot be managed. If they are not managed well, they are half dead.
If you still lose money every year, just give it to my brother as a way to share my worries. Besides, you saved and sent back my only son. This is the benefactor of my Wei family. A blacksmith shop and a small mine are nothing."
"No, no, absolutely no." Yang Fan declined.
"Does it mean that brother looks down on me, Old Wei, or thinks this gift is too light?" Wei Bancheng pretended to be angry.
This was a bit half-truth. Yang Fan knew that Wei Bancheng didn't want to owe a favor, and he would be annoying if he kept saying it.
"Brother Wei is very open-minded, brother, I have nothing to say, just do as eldest brother wants," Yang Fan said cheerfully.
"Okay, your brother will be handed over to me, Old Wei."
That night, Wei Bancheng hosted a banquet for Yang Fan. The guests and hosts had a great time, and the stewards and shopkeepers of the Wei family came to propose a toast.
Yang Fan drank very well and was able to walk back to the dormitory by himself in the end.
Wei Bancheng got a little drunk and staggered back.
It was late at night, and Wei Bancheng was lying on the bed with a tired look on his face. Next to him lay his wife Lin, whose face was flushed, her eyebrows were springy, her face was radiant, her peach blossom eyes were almost dripping with water, and she was holding his hand charmingly.
arm.
Today we found our only son. They were both very happy and in high spirits. They worked hard until the middle of the night.
"Sir, I think that boy has a calm temperament, a strong physique, and a thoughtful mind. He is quite a character. We don't have such a talent in our family, so you don't want to recruit him."
"Huh, I'm a woman, what do you know? This guy's origins are unknown, his character is unknown, and he's ruthless. How dare you bring him home? Even though we saved Fugui this time, we won't treat him badly. Anyway, we'll make good friends first.
.I can’t see through this person, I still have to take a look.”
"Hmph, don't you brag to me all day long. How great are you? How did you defeat this one? How did you defeat that one? You're timid about a guy who doesn't have all his hair. I think you're a tortoise.
, Bah, what a turtle."
"Madam, that boy is involved with Dongchang and Jinyiwei. There are so many things going on in our family that we can't even cover up, so why not get involved with those people?"
"Madam, let's not talk about that boy."
"Bah, damn ghost"
The clouds cover the moon and the night is deep.
But Yang Fan couldn't sleep.
On the second night after coming to this world, I had too many reveries.
I have settled down for the time being, and I don’t know when I will be able to go back.