I played as an assistant in ancient times

Chapter 113 Wavering

Shen Xiaoye got to the point: "Why do you call me uncle?"

"Shen... Changsui." Only then did Lu Guan realize that he had been calling the other party Shen Heng recently.

He said sheepishly: "Next time you choose a name, it's better to have the word Heng in it.

Well, come, put these things here for you first." As he said this, he took out two daggers of different lengths and several iron nails from his body.

Shen Xiaoye held it in her hands and was amazed. After watching the two people leave, she was unable to recover for a long time.

It was not until the little black cat rubbed against her legs that she returned to the room and said, "Is he suffering from paranoia?"

The suspected Lu Guan was sitting in the carriage. He opened the window a little and observed the person who came on horseback to pick them up for a few seconds.

He sighed softly, "They actually sent the Imperial Guards to summon me. I haven't even seen the living emperor yet!"

Shen Changsui stroked his forehead and said, "Walls have ears. You might as well talk about coal briquettes to kill time."

"How long can we say? Lingchunfang is only separated from the north gate of the imperial city by Jinggongfang." When Lu Guan was on leave, he took a special tour around the outside of the imperial city.

He thought for a moment and said, "The coal balls I'm talking about are honeycomb coals, not the round solid ones you're talking about.

One piece for household use is made into one pound. If you don't boil water or cook, but just keep warm in the house, it will take at least eight or nine hours to consume one piece. Two or three pieces a day are enough. Selling each piece for two cents, at most six cents a day is not expensive, right?

I have observed that charcoal that costs four cents a pound can only burn for about four hours, and it costs twenty-four cents a day.

Besides, odd jobs in the capital are usually charged at thirty-five cents.”

“Ordinary families don’t use charcoal. Except for the cheapest coal or firewood to cook, everyone just endures the cold.

Or maybe people in Beijing use the cheapest coal dust mixed with soil to burn, so it's normal if the gatekeeper Mr. Bai comes from the countryside and has never seen this.

Rich families would selectively use good coal. You have to know that in modern times, many families still couldn't afford coal.

However, middle-class families can still accept cheap coal briquettes, but the price they can afford is only one cent or a little more.

To make this thing, you must win by quantity, make small profits but sell in large quantities, and it is a physically demanding job. You have to consider the labor cost, and you also have to consider that it is easy to be copied after it is released." Shen Changsui made him mentally prepared.

Lu Guan thought for a moment and said, "Why do I feel that your attitude is wavering?"

"Well, I neither support nor oppose." Shen Changsui was very clear about his attitude.

Lu Guan remained silent. He could clearly see that Shen Xiaoye was very interested.

While the two of them were sitting in silence, Shen Xiaoye was telling his cousin and the Taoist priest where they were going.

"Oh my god, my fourth uncle is going to the imperial city to meet the emperor.

I have to ask my fourth uncle to tell me what the imperial city is like when I get back." As soon as Shen Cungeng finished speaking, he suddenly felt something was wrong, "Xiao Ye, my fourth uncle's current situation shouldn't be a hindrance, right?"

"That shouldn't be the case. The picture was drawn by two people together, and Lu Guan was by his side." Shen Xiaoye was a little nervous, but generally not worried.

But after waiting for a long time, no one came back until 3 p.m., and she could no longer sit still.

The one who was even more restless than her was Grandma Lin from Jiuli Village.

As the journey was quite long, old man Shen Shanyou and his party only arrived home today. Not to mention the joy of family members meeting each other, grandma looked around and couldn't see the others, so she became very nervous.

Despite the explanations from her husband and eldest son, she simply didn't believe them. "Don't lie to me. What on earth does Sui Ge'er need to go to Beijing for?

Changshou, tell your mother the truth. "She is recovering well now, except for the difficulty in walking, she has no problem speaking.

Shen Changshou's eyes were slightly evasive, but she noticed it, so she was even more certain that something was wrong: "Why don't you tell me?"

"Mother..." He looked at his father with his head down and his mother staring at him, and finally he told the truth with a few grumbles.

Lin was stunned for a long while. When her daughter-in-law and niece sat nervously on her left and right, she sighed and said, "It's enough to be alive."

There were more than 60 families in the village, and excluding those with only one person or widowed, a total of 58 people went there. However, less than 40 people returned in the first batch. Although several more were sent back later, they were all disabled.

"Mother Erniu, please help me put on my new cotton-padded clothes and shoes. I will go to see him tomorrow.

This child has suffered a lot outside." She is much luckier than others, and both of her sons are alive.

Aunt Lin looked at the people in the room, and after the old man nodded, she responded, "...Hey, I'll clean up now."

On this side, Shen Xiaoye had no idea that her grandmother had exposed her lie as soon as they met. She was pacing around the room with an uneasy look on her face.

My cousin and Taoist Master Hengxi have been out for a long time, and no news has been sent back yet. Even Xuanshen, who was the first to go to the Imperial City to inquire, is nowhere to be seen.

"Miss Shen, tell the concierge that there are guests coming." The cook called softly from outside the door.

Shen Xiaoye opened the door and the little black cat ran over to see, "Who is the guest?"

"It is said that a young boy named Zhou, about six or seven years old, is waiting outside the door with a coachman." The cook recounted the story truthfully.

Shen Xiaoye thought it was probably Lu Guan's friend, so she strode out of the Chuihua Gate.

The cook behind her hurriedly followed, secretly shaking her head and thinking: After all, he is a male guest, and since there is no male host in the house, just send him away. But this girl actually went straight to greet him?

Shen Xiaoye couldn't hear her complaints. Whether in her previous life or in the village now, it was very common for a half-grown child like her to entertain guests.

"Young Master Zhou, is there anything I can do for you?" She saw Zhou Wenchen and yesterday's coachman warming themselves by the fire in the gatehouse. This kid was a little different from other young masters of officials. When he went out, he was not accompanied by a group of people, but only by a coachman.

However, Shen Xiaoye noticed that the driver had bulging temples and his eyes were focused and bright, indicating that he was a martial artist.

The child stood up and bowed politely, "I apologized yesterday. I arrived at my aunt's house and she sent me home soon after. I didn't even say thank you to you in person.

After school today, I reported to my father and came here specifically to apologize and thank you.

Uncle Hang, please bring the things up."

"No, no, no, I just helped you with a small favor, how can I ask you to thank me twice?

Besides, it was mainly Lu Guan who saved you." Shen Xiaoye quickly refused, but the driver had already passed him and was moving things outside the door.

Zhou Wenchen said sternly: "You all have to thank them, they are all benefactors. The ones your family should thank belong to them, and mine belongs to me.

But after I recovered, I never saw Fourth Brother Lu again, and I couldn't find him even when I went to the Imperial College.

Later I heard that he went to the military camp, and I don’t know how he is doing now. ” He had been sitting here for a short time and didn’t know that the house belonged to Lu Guan.

Shen Xiaoye smiled and said, "He's back."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the sound of horse hooves outside the gate, and Lu Guan shouted, "We are back."

Shen Xiaoye was out of the door in almost a second, just in time to see her cousin helping her uncle down from the carriage.

Then Xuan Shen handed several pieces of brocade and fine silk to Guard Chen from the car, and Guard Chen turned around and carried them into the gate.

She couldn't help but blink: "These..."

"Hehe, it's just what you thought." Lu Guan proudly took the flat box handed over by Xuan Shen, "There are better ones."

"Come inside and take a look." Shen Changsui didn't let him show off.

Lu Guan opened the box and put his hand down again. He turned around and saw little Zhou Wenchen running over to grab the corner of his clothes and said, "Fourth Brother Lu, you're still alive!"

"Tsk, of course I'm alive." Lu Guan stuffed the box into Shen Xiaoye's hand and pulled the kid into the door. "It's so cold, and you came out to look for me, be careful not to get cold."

The coachman held the gift box, nodded at Shen Xiaoye, and hurried after him.

She raised her hand to stop them, but not only did they walk very fast, but Mr. Bai also asked guard Chen to help him lower the threshold and drive the carriage in.

Shen Xiaoye turned around and asked, "Where is Taoist Priest Hengxi?"

"He said he had something to do and we don't have to wait for him for dinner." Shen Cungeng called her to come home quickly.

Although it’s not cold in Beijing in November, after a heavy snowfall last month, you can still breathe out when you talk outside.

As soon as he entered the second door, Shen Xiaoye opened the flat box in his hand as if possessed by a ghost, and saw a stamped receipt inside, which roughly stated that Xixinsi had withdrawn 1,000 kilograms of coal and charcoal.

“If a hundred catties of top-quality coal costs a little over one cent, a thousand catties would only cost a little over one ounce.

If it's red radish charcoal, we'll make a fortune." Shen Xiaoye secretly clicked his tongue, it was a pity that there was no category.

Don't blame her for thinking it's too little. Even though she handled a lot of silver bills some time ago, after taking all the costs into account, her current net profit is only five hundred taels.

A trip to Kaiping cost more than one hundred taels of silver in total, of course, the bulk of it was spent on buying four horses.

She closed the flat box very quickly and when she entered the main living room, she saw two pots of charcoal burning in the room.

The coachman and guard Chen were no longer in the room, probably because they had taken the horses to feed.

"You are really rich. You even light two pots of charcoal." Shen Xiaoye returned the box to him and said, "It's a waste to use this charcoal."

"You can have both." Lu Guan was quite happy. "Let Mr. Miao come to see me tomorrow."

"Which Mr. Miao?" Little Zhou Wenchen sat very obediently.

Lu Guan said, "You don't know him. Oh, by the way, I remember you said that a relative of yours owns a silk and satin shop. Can you sell these materials to him?"

"I'll go ask for you, her house is next door." Little Zhou Wenchen was very willing to help, he stood up and was about to take action.

Unexpectedly, the little black cat beside the charcoal basin immediately meowed and jumped in front of him to block the way.

Shen Xiaoye grabbed it and said, "He's joking. These materials can't be sold."

"You can give it to someone else." Shen Changsui also "looked" at Lu Guan and said, "You're just kidding. The emperor gave you a reward and then sold it. How can you complain about your comfortable life?"

Zhou Wenchen was coaxed by Shen Xiaoye to sit down again. He looked at Shen Changsui curiously, wanting to ask about his eyes, but worried that he would be unhappy.

Lu Guan flipped through the fabrics on the table and said, "It looks similar to what's sold in the store. Is it a tribute from the Weaving Bureau?"

"Is it true that none of them can be sold? Brother Geng, go and inform Manager Miao of the meeting time. Xiaoye, take me back to my room." Shen Changsui said as he fumbled to stand up.

Lu Guan watched the three people leave and shook his head, saying, "Pedantic."

"These silks are from Hangzhou, and the satins are also of excellent quality.

Reselling tribute satin will not only result in a heavy fine, but may also result in caning." Zhou Wenchen said there would be serious consequences.

Lu Guan pushed him aside and said, "I'll take you home, otherwise your parents will be worried."

Zhou Wenchen lowered his head, "Can't I eat before leaving? I'm the only one at home."

"No, you live in Jiaozhongfang and you can't leave after curfew." Lu Guanke couldn't take care of the child.

He picked up the person and carried him out of the room, shouting at Xuan Shen to help see him off.

Shen Xiaoye opened the slit in the curtain and saw Zhou Wenchen, who looked aggrieved. She smiled and said, "This kid is not a child anymore, but he still likes to stick to Lu Guan to play."

"When you were a child, you also liked to run behind your brothers." Shen Changsui was talking about her in another world.

He asked, "When we separated, did he tell me which day we would arrive in Beijing and which city gate we would meet at?"

“It’s November 20th, at the East Gate.

However, I want to go back tomorrow and bring some cloth." Shen Xiaoye didn't think she could sell much cloth during the New Year. As far as she knew later, Linghe County suffered the most casualties, with at least a quarter of the civilians dead, which was considered a heavy blow.

Shen Changsui pondered for a moment and said, "I don't think your story will pass the test of grandma. Why don't you take out the pieces of cloth in the space and choose a few workshops to try?"

"Uncle guessed that I brought fabric?"

"Of course, with such a handy suitcase, could you please stuff a little more stuff in there just in case?"

"hey-hey!"

The uncle and nephew smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.

She asked again: "Do they value the drawings? They also sent a thousand kilograms of charcoal." Brocade and other things cannot be sold, at best they are just beautiful, but the charcoal is truly a timely help.

When the twelfth lunar month comes, there is still a lot of snow and water here.

Shen Changsui nodded: "Well, our drawing method is different from the current map, and Lu Guan spent a day instructing the craftsmen to make a deduction sand table, which reflects the landform most intuitively and clearly.

Moreover, he specially sent the old imperial physician from yesterday to me, hoping that after the army is reorganized, I can accompany Lu Guan."

Shen Xiaoye frowned: "Still want to go?

Uncle and Lu Guan are both underage, so they can't even hold up the armor, right?"

Shen Changsui remained silent. Given the chance, which man wouldn't want to fight on the battlefield and make achievements?

Although they only wore breastplates on the battlefield this time and were frequently injured in encounters with small groups of Northern Barbarians, it could not stop their yearning.

Didn’t you see Lu Guan, who wanted to lie down, get excited as soon as he got to the battlefield? He was actually the same.

Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Shen Xiaoye knew that it was useless to say more. At this moment, she didn't know whether she should hope that her uncle's eyes would get better sooner or later.

When Lu Guan came back, he found the uncle and nephew silent and felt very strange. He said, "I will go get the coal tomorrow and test the ratio of coal to yellow clay first."

"No need for experiment, I remember it was 15 percent clay." Shen Xiaoye reported the number.

Lu Guan: "To be honest, you have wanted to do this business for a long time, but Shen Changsui disagreed."

Regardless of whether Shen Changsui agreed or not, after Miao Dongjia visited the next day, several carts of coal and charcoal were brought into the small courtyard.

However, a thousand pounds of charcoal plus several hundred pounds of coal dust took up so much space that the charcoal had to be stored in the house and the coal was piled in the open air in the yard.

Shen Xiaoye asked, "I really gave you some coal dust."

"It's not evenly distributed. I exchanged it with the Xinxinsi for a few baskets of charcoal." The King of Hell was pleased to see that the little devil was difficult to deal with. Lu Guan originally wanted to take advantage of him, but the four departments of the inner palace were controlled by eunuchs, and they were not there to just sit there and do nothing.