At dawn the next day, eight interviewers came to Lu Xu's tea shop, which was still ventilated from all sides.
There are men and women, old and young, they are Scarface and his relatives.
Several eyes were still red.
Scarface introduced them one by one, and finally pointed at a woman with small eyes and said: "This is my mother-in-law."
Lu Xu: "Hello, sister-in-law."
The woman clasped her fingers cautiously and said hurriedly: "Hello, my boss."
After saying that, his red and swollen eyes stared hard at Scar's face again, his face full of embarrassment.
He was killed that day. The family thought that they had been killed by the officers and soldiers suppressing the bandits. Yesterday, he came back quietly with a few sweet cakes. He felt all over his body and left dozens of pennies for her. After just two mouthfuls of food, he came back again. He wanted to leave, but he also said he would come back in three years.
Three years?
Who knows where he will die in three years?
She held her breath and told him to get out of here so that she could die outside so that she could remarry a good family and not worry about him.
But when he really left, she felt bad about putting the child to sleep at night. She sat alone at the door wiping her tears and crying. In the middle of the night, he opened the door and ran back.
She was crying sadly thinking about all the things she had done when she was a child, when Scarface unexpectedly pushed the door open and pushed her and the stool to the ground. She fell down and squatted down with tears in her eyes.
Scarface opened the door and was stunned when he saw his wife sitting on the ground, "Why are you sitting at the door?"
His wife got so angry that she got up on the bench and beat him, "Why don't you knock on the door first?!"
There was a lot of excitement, and the scar-faced wife hurriedly packed up and came over for an interview in the middle of the night.
It was all her fault that her unlucky husband caused her eyes to become swollen from crying. Her eyes were already small, and now they can no longer see!
Fortunately, Lu Xu didn't judge people by their appearance, he knew them all once, and explained everything about the tea shed to reassure them, explaining that these people were also serving in the tea shed and had no wages.
Lu Xu: "But if they do well, I will personally pay them bonuses. If they are still willing to continue working after three years, I will also pay them wages and bonuses."
Several families also knew about the situation on the way here, and they repeatedly said: "It is enough for them to be able to stay at the door of the house without having to work hard to build the city wall!"
Chen Lian, who was supporting the scene at the side, heard this and showed off his official authority, nodding gracefully.
After that, it was time to try out the skills.
Lu Xu prepared thick mixed noodles, and they also brought kitchen utensils and buckwheat noodles and started mixing the noodles for cooking.
This saves Lu Xu and the others the trouble of cooking. The group of people eat and score at the same time.
In the end, Lu Xu hired two people, one was the scar-faced wife, and the other was a woman about her age.
The salary was also changed to twenty-five cents a day per person.
The two almost jumped up with joy and immediately shouted to start working.
Lu Xu hadn't seen such a cheerful woman for a long time. He was very satisfied with the new female employees. He paid their wages in advance and hired six other people to do part-time work for 25 cents a day. He didn't ask them to come from home in the middle of the night. A trip in vain.
A group of people happily started to clean up. One of Scarface's people ran back to the village to transport thatch. Lu Xu took people to cut down trees. Scarface's clan members also came at noon, holding tools to help saw wood and make tables. , make benches, and by evening, the tea shed is already in shape.
The square room is equipped with a floor that is still not too flat, a newly made table, a bench, a thatched roof, a straw mat door curtain, and a newly built stove.
At the door, on the log-colored square wooden board, there is a sign written by Lu Xu himself, and a large word "tea" hangs squarely at the door.
Lu Xu looked at his calligraphy treasure and sighed silently that the broken calligraphy he couldn't use was really ugly. He thought that he must ask Yan Junqi to write some signs for him when he went back and bring them to him next time.
The small tea shed only has six tables at a time, and two people can be squeezed into one bench to accommodate forty-eight people. Lu Xu’s caravan and two military families passing by tried it in batches and almost ate the noodles that Lu Xu brought out. null.
Lu Xu had no choice but to unload the unground millet, wheat, and beans, and asked Scarface and the others to go back and grind them themselves.
In the evening, Lu Xu and the others thanked Scarface for their invitation and did not stay overnight in their village. Instead, they stayed one more night by the road and headed north early the next day.
The tea shop was already under construction when they set off. The Scarface couple got a cart from home and were carrying water from the stream to the tea shop.
After today, at least pedestrians walking here will have a place to rest, drink water and eat, and replenish their strength.
They followed the same pattern later. As long as someone in the team had a hometown nearby, Lu Xu would build a tea shed by the road.
After going back and forth, they didn't go to Dengzhou County for more than ten days, but the efficiency of building houses skyrocketed.
The military households and patrols chasing after them suddenly realized when they saw them: "You also built those tea sheds in front, right?"
Lu Xu: "Yes, yes, it's us, welcome to patronize!"
So, even the beams and pillars of the newest room were not erected, and the guests had to eat first.
Chen Lian's reputation in the patrol barracks rose to prominence, and many people established relationships with him along the way.
Chen Lian, who had little trust in Lu Xu before, gradually became more affectionate towards Lu Xu.
In any case, the food that Lu Xu unloaded along the way was real. He did not charge the patrolmen for tea, but only paid for the food at cost, which was also real.
When the fifth tea shop opened, Lu Xu shamelessly complained to Chen Lian about being poor and miserable, saying, "It's easy to start a business but difficult to keep it. It depends on Brother Chen whether you make a profit or not." Chen Lian also said boldly: "Don't worry. , I’ll ask someone to watch it for you.”
After many days of delay, they finally arrived at Dengzhou County.
Lu Xu's cash on hand was almost exhausted, and it was time to sell some goods for some money.
But when he arrived at Dengzhou County, Lu Xu's heart sank when he looked at the dilapidated and short tower and the gray plaque.
When he entered the city, he saw that Dengzhou City was not as lively as their Yinma Town, and his heart became even colder.
However, Lu Xu and his party received a particularly warm reception in Dengzhou - the county magistrate of Dengzhou personally went to the street to greet them.
Lu Xu had never enjoyed such treatment before, and he followed the young county magistrate into the county government office in great panic. His caravan also openly borrowed the county's inn for a while.
"Cui has heard about what Brother Lu did along the way. It was a hard journey."
Lu Xu was startled. He was no longer a pure novice who had just arrived and didn't understand the routine at all. He quickly said: "The county magistrate is so complimentary, but the common people don't dare."
Magistrate Cui smiled boldly, "Brother Lu, you don't have to be polite. I am different from other county magistrates. Cui is from Dengzhou, so I should welcome Brother Lu even for the people of Dengzhou."
"A native of Dengzhou?" Lu Xu was surprised, "Didn't Daqi prohibit native officials from taking up posts locally?"
Magistrate Cui laughed and said, "It's a long story. When Cui was in office, Shuozhou was recruiting troops. His predecessor, Mr. Liu, died of old age while he was in office. There was no one familiar with Dengzhou in the court, so they made an exception and sent me back. Come, come to the mansion, let’s eat and chat.”
He said it politely, but in fact it happened that Shuozhou County was in danger at that time, and the counties could fall at any time. Those who were rich, powerful and well-connected were unwilling to take risks in Shuozhou. In the end, he, a Shuozhou native, was thrown away came back.
After the scientific examination, he not only returned to Shuozhou County, but also directly returned to his hometown of Dengzhou County. Magistrate Cui also had a very complicated mood.
He digested it by himself for a while, and others didn't dare to come. How could he, a Dengzhou native, be afraid? If he was scared away, how would the people of Dengzhou survive?
After figuring it out, he took office with a passion for building his hometown.
When he first took office, he was both sharp and arrogant, thinking day and night about how to express his ambition and make a career in his hometown.
But reality makes people grow old. After three years, conscription, war, famine, bandit suppression... one after another, each one is exhausting.
His sharp edge gradually faded away after working day and night without any results.
But he is still young and his blood is still fresh.
Because of this, when he heard what Lu Xu had done, he immediately sent people everywhere to find out who Lu Xu was.
Although Dengzhou is small, there are restaurants where I learned cooking in Guanyang. There is also a little-known small shop in their county because I went to Guanyang early and got a spot early. Now it is famous in the county by selling Malatang. Had a very good time.
Therefore, Cui County inquired about Lu Xu faster than He Chengye. Lu Xu was still building a tea shed on the road. He already knew who Lu Xu was and what business he had in Guanyang. He also found out that Lu Xu and He Chengye were brothers along the way.
A caravan like Lu Xu couldn't be ranked in the queue in Longxing Prefecture, and it couldn't even be at the front of the queue in Guanyang. But when it arrived in Dengzhou, it was a large caravan that hadn't been seen in several years, especially since he had dozens of cars with him. Grain cargo.
After Magistrate Cui inquired about it clearly, he didn't care about official authority or face, so he wanted to get the people into the city first.
After all, the entry fee for such a large caravan is enough to cover the county government's expenses for a month or two.
Why should they keep Lu Xu in Dengzhou? Could it still be a dilapidated small tower that could collapse at any time?
He had to go.
Lu Xu didn't know that Magistrate Cui was originally afraid that they would not enter the city, so he went directly around the north of the city. He also seriously considered whether to pick them up outside the city, but after thinking about it, he still saved face for himself and ordered someone to go early. Watch from outside the city and report to him at any time.
Before Lu Xu entered the city, he went to the street to greet him.
Lu Xu received preferential treatment in a daze, and naturally he was in a very good mood.
Can a dignified county magistrate treat a small businessman like him at the Hongmen Banquet?
Lu Xu thought that he was not that shameless.
He met more local people along the way, and gradually became accustomed to the open folk customs of Dengzhou, and he also liked it quite a lot - this straightforward style of doing things was just to his liking!
Seeing that Magistrate Cui really didn't have any airs, he let go. After the meal, although they didn't call each other brothers, they had already exchanged cups and cups, and it was a shame to see each other so late.
Magistrate Cui wanted to keep him in Dengzhou, but Lu Xu insisted on going north to Yonggu County. He had only regrets, "Despite the fact that Dengzhou is small, we have a large population. We also lack food every winter, alas... "
Magistrate Cui couldn't help but drink a glass of wine. Holding the glass, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Only a rich place like Longxing can brew such a mellow wine. During the previous dynasty, we used grain in Dengzhou to make wine." Making wine is punishable."
He finished the glass of wine and sighed again: "I was born in Dengzhou, the governor of Dengzhou, and studied hard for many years. Only when I went to the capital for scientific research did I know the prosperity of the world, and only when I went to a banquet in Beijing did I taste such mellow food. liquor."
Lu Xu had a soft-spoken character, and when he heard what he said, he felt a bit at a loss. He even hesitated for a moment in holding the wine glass.
Magistrate Cui, who was willing to give up face to keep him and the food, saw that he was wavering and how could he miss it. He immediately pulled Lu Xu and cried heartily again, and coaxed Lu Xu into agreeing to keep twenty carts of food.
As soon as the wind blew and the wine sobered up, Lu Xu was about to cry.
How come a kind-hearted person with thick eyebrows and big eyes actually takes advantage of his compassion?
As expected, those who can serve as county magistrates in Dengzhou are not ordinary people.
The next day, Lu Xu went to Dengzhou Grain Store to sell grain as promised with a constipated look on his face. He saw Magistrate Cui, who was in high spirits and full of energy, as if he was not the one who complained about his failure last night with a lot of snot and tears.
Lu Xu gritted his teeth. He lost this game and learned from it!
Magistrate Cui knew he was in the wrong, but he didn't lower the price. He bought and sold the grains on the spot according to the market price of Dengzhou grain. He didn't make a penny of profit, and sold it all to the people at the purchase price.
After Lu Xu collected the money, his mood improved. He couldn't help but complained about Magistrate Cui again: "Master Cui, it's not like I won't come back in the future. Dengzhou is not big, so why do I have to leave so much food?"
Magistrate Cui got an advantage and spoke to Lu Xu with a gentle attitude, "Our county is not big, but there are still a lot of people in the surrounding area. Look, how can twenty carts of grain be enough to sell it?"
He also implemented purchase restrictions. Except for rice, each person was only allowed to buy one pound.
The price of rice was so high that Lu Xu was stunned. The rice he left in Dengzhou was unpounded, and the price was more expensive than the polished rice in Guanyang.
As the head of a county, Magistrate Cui was reluctant to buy it himself.
Lu Xu's sympathy overflowed again, and the little resentment of being cheated disappeared. Anyway, it was still early, and at worst they would walk faster and send food north before winter.
After thinking about it, Lu Xu sincerely made plans for Dengzhou: "Master Cui, I see that there are no decent inns in Dengzhou. In the future, if there are more caravans, it is not easy to borrow all the inns. It is better to build a few larger inns. Restaurant?"
Dengzhou is small, and local forces are not as well-connected as those in larger counties. Magistrate Cui is a local and easy to talk to. Lu Xu plans to use Dengzhou as an important stop on the trade route.
Since we plan to make a stop, of course we can’t afford poor food and accommodation.
As for the post house last night, it was shabby and almost useless. In theory, it could only be used for official and military purposes. It was really not a problem for him, an ordinary small businessman, to occupy the official post house.
It's excusable once, but it's not justified if it happens too many times. If someone wants to kill him in the future, this alone is enough to throw him to prison for three to five years.
He'd better spend his money and stay in a private inn.
However, when Magistrate Cui heard this suggestion, he started fighting.
Of course he was very excited about the trade route plan that Lu Xu mentioned last night, and he was also willing to provide Lu Xu with all kinds of help, as long as it didn't cost money.
There is no way, they are poor in Dengzhou!
Three years later, the canal he wanted to build has not yet been built, the porridge shed he wanted to build has not yet been built, and the city wall he wanted to build still has to collapse.
Inn?
They don't even have money to repair the posthouse, so why should they build an inn? Just sleep as long as you can, why are there so many poor people?
No matter how Lu Xu persuaded him, Master Cui had the same attitude: no money.
Seeing that Lu Xu kept drawing a blueprint for him from morning to noon, Master Cui felt more and more unreliable the more he listened.
It’s hard to say whether Lu Xu’s next trip will come in the next ten years or the next hundred years.
What kind of place is Yonggu County? Crossing Shuozhou to do business, this young man really dares to think about it.
"Brother Lu also saw the situation in Dengzhou. It's not that I don't want to, but the conditions are really limited." Thinking of Lu Xu's twenty carts of food, Master Cui was embarrassed to speak too harshly: "Well, I'll give it to you. You can carve out an open space and build it yourself.”
Lu Xu:? ? ?
Is there such a good thing? !
The author has something to say:
Lu Xu: I was wrong. How could I think that Dengzhou County is dilapidated? Look, how promising it is!
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