A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 169 One wrong step and one wrong step after another

Xuanyangfang.

Fenyuan Mansion,

Ji Wen and his brother-in-law Dou Zhiyuan sat opposite each other and drank.
A small red clay stove, green ants brewing new wine,
Equipped with a five-cooking pot, the pot has five compartments, which can cook five kinds of food separately without mixing flavors.

In this cold winter, it is a real pleasure to eat Tongzhou lamb, some bean curd sheets and tofu, and some chicken, lotus root and winter bamboo shoots.

"You know what, this yuba is really delicious," Dou Zhiyuan said with a smile. "It's chewy and has a strong bean flavor. It's also very flavorful."

Dou Liu Niang said, "Nowadays, the Wei Du family in Jingzhao, Chang'an, also makes yuba, but the best one is the Yushuchuan Wuji yuba. I heard that the Wei family even sent someone to seduce the female worker of Li Yi's family, locked her in the cellar and stole the recipe.
But in the end, Li Yi asked the King of Qin to come forward, and the Wei family was put in a terrible state. The workshop was closed and the manager was arrested. Finally, the Wei family asked the Duke of Xiangcheng to come forward and gave him fifty taels of gold as a payment for the prescription.

Later, the Du family also paid fifty taels of gold to buy the recipe.
But the yuba made by the two families is not as good as Li’s. It just tastes a little bit different.”

Ji Wen said, "That must be because Li Yi kept something back and didn't reveal the true secret recipe."

"I heard that the cost of making bean curd skin is only about fifty coins per pound, but it's selling for a hundred coins, which is a great profit. Although Wei Du spent fifty taels of gold to buy the house, I heard that they bought not only bean curd skin, but also several other recipes for fried tofu. They have now opened many workshops, and it is said that they have already opened them outside Yongzhou.
The small amount I paid for the house should have been earned back long ago, and from now on it will be pure profit." Dou Zhiyuan's tone was tinged with envy.

Don't look at him as the son of Duke Deng, but noble families value cohabitation and communal property. Before the family split up, he had limited private money and mainly relied on his wife's dowry.

Ji Wen asked his brother-in-law: "Li Yi is on a long vacation now, and he also gave us gifts. In addition to these six kinds of bean curd sheets, there are also soap and persimmon liquor. It seems that he put a lot of thought into it.

He also said that he was willing to share the auspiciousness with the Ji and Dou families, and was even willing to sell us the recipe for soaking bean curd sheets.
Do you think he has given in?"

Dou Zhiyuan took a sip of wine.

He said proudly: "He said he was asking for leave, but he was just trying to save face. He must have been severely reprimanded and asked to suspend his work and reflect on himself first. He must also know that it was us who did it.
If he doesn't give in, it won't be so easy next time."

"Can you buy this auspicious item, or the bean curd skin recipe?"

"Li Yi was at the Du family before. In the time it took to drink a few cups of tea, he sold twenty auspicious signs at fifteen taels each. Many people wanted to buy them later, but they didn't get the chance." Dou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Fifteen taels of gold is really not expensive to buy an auspicious sign.
Buy it. Didn’t he say that he could give it to six of us at most? Then let’s buy all six.

The total is only ninety taels of gold.

And after spring, we will also have dozens of auspicious signs. Then we can plant a lot of them. Whether we sell them to others for seeds or grow them ourselves, it will be worth it if we can produce two to three thousand dan of golden potatoes per mu."

Ji Wen was a little hesitant.

Fifteen taels of gold for one coin could buy him a small house in Chang'an. It's not that he doesn't have the money, but the Ji family is not what it used to be.

Dou Liu Niangzi, however, urged her husband to buy one.
Our Fenyuan Mansion has been declining in recent years, and now that the dynasty has changed, we cannot continue to decline. Fifteen taels of gold, just consider it to buy a reputation.

"Do you want to buy the bean curd skin recipe? Li Yi said he would sell it to us for thirty taels of gold."

Li Yi gave them a 40% discount, but he sold two shares to the Ji and Dou families at a time. If they wanted to buy, they could buy both, otherwise he wouldn't sell it to them.

"I think it's okay. Although there are only three companies doing this business in Chang'an, we can also open workshops in Hedong and Longyou. Second Brother Gang also said that Wei Du and his team are selling bean curd sheets and tofu puffs, and they are selling them for double the cost."

Dou Liuniang has always been the head of Ji Wen's family.

There are five brothers in their family, and they have not yet separated. Although they have all married, they still live together and share the property.

They discussed while eating and finally decided to buy six for Xiangrui, one for Ji Wen, and five for the Dou family. They also bought the recipes for bean curd sheets and other things, one for each family.

Six auspicious golden potatoes, ninety taels of gold, plus two recipes, sixty taels of gold,
A total of one hundred and fifty taels of gold.

Several people felt that this deal was not a loss.

It is believed that Li Yi has witnessed the strength of the Dou family and has surrendered, so he is willing to take the initiative to offer the six auspicious items and the bean curd sheet recipe.

"This kid is quite sensible. From now on, we will take him with us and take care of him." Dou Zhiyuan was very proud that he had successfully tamed this guy. He enjoyed the pleasure of conquest. Li Yi was also talented and sensible. He planned to take this little brother with him in the future.

"Now that this matter has been decided, we should hurry up and do it. Siwen, take your sixth sister to the Li family and say a few good words to him in person. Then the past will be written off.
I'll have someone send you some gold later."

"Brother, why are you being so polite? My Ji family can still afford the 150 taels of gold."

"Let's put it this way. How can I take advantage of you?" Dou Zhiyuan put another handful of soaked bean curd sheets into the empty space of the five-cooked cauldron. "Your sister is coming home to visit her parents during the Winter Solstice Festival, so we should prepare some things in advance so that there will be more fun."

Ji Sujun is now Li Yi's concubine, not even a maid.

According to the concept of this era, a man's in-laws are only his wife's family. The concubine's family is not a relative, and the concubine's parents are not his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Ji Wen is naturally not Li Yi's brother-in-law.
Even if one has committed a truly heinous crime, three clans will be executed, which generally refers to the father's clan, the mother's clan, and the wife's clan, and does not involve the concubine's clan.

Back then, Ji Sujun married the son of General Li Zixiong, who was executed for treason. As Li Zixiong's daughter-in-law, Ji Sujun's family was somewhat implicated, but the impact was minor. Li Zixiong's other daughter-in-law, Wei Gui, the daughter of Wei Yuancheng, Duke of Yun, was also confined to the imperial court, but the Wei family was not greatly implicated either.

"Auntie has suffered a lot over the years, and I, as her brother, have really let her down. Now I feel even more guilty for letting her become someone else's concubine. This time when she returns home to visit her parents, I will definitely make it a lively occasion for her." Ji Wen sighed.

This sister used to be the apple of the eye of the Fenyuan mansion. Both her grandfather and father loved her very much. At the age of fourteen, she married the son of General Li Zixiong. It was considered a good marriage for them.
Who could have imagined that Li Zixiong would be executed for conspiracy and rebellion together with Yang Xuangan, and his sister would be taken into the imperial court less than a month after her marriage.

The Ji family was helpless, and the separation was simply a self-preservation measure. After all, with both their grandfather and father gone, the Ji family lacked even a single influential figure. "To be honest, it's just that Su Jun was foolish. If you had sent someone to fetch her, she could have remarried as a principal wife. Not to mention marrying a duke, but certainly marrying the second son or illegitimate son of a duke's family would have been preferable to being a concubine," Dou Zhiyuan said.

The distinction between wives and concubines is like the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the distinction between noble and humble people.
"I chose my own path. What else can I do? Now that I'm Li Yi's concubine, there's no way I can take her back."

Even if she was taken back and made a concubine, no one would be willing to marry her.

"One wrong step, every wrong step."

Li Yi was busy packing up and returning to the countryside.
He wanted to see how the construction of the Wuji Castle was going, and he was also thinking about the tabby cat Zhaocai, and the two dogs Laifu and Wangcai.

During the last Qiang rebellion, Lihua ran away and was not found when Li Yi returned to Chang'an. It was not until a long time later that Lihua came back.

It's almost become a wild cat, but it lives a free and easy life, not looking down and out at all. Its sleek appearance adds to its wildness.

I heard that he often goes out to have fun and doesn't come home for several days.

Early in the morning, Li Yi was about to go out.

Ji Wen came with his wife Dou Liuniang, his sister Ji Erniang, and even his three children.

The car was filled with gifts, all kinds of food and daily necessities.

He also brought one hundred and fifty taels of gold.

Ji Wen was very polite this time, without the arrogance he had when they first met in Jingzhou. His eyes were red when he saw his sister whom he hadn't seen for more than five years.

When Li Yi saw the gold, he was also very warm and polite to Ji Wen. It cannot be said that they were stupid but rich, noble and cunning than ghosts. It can only be said that each of them got what they needed.

This made Ji Wen think that Li Yi had really given in, and his attitude became better.

Both parties were delighted.

Li Yi divided his remaining eight potatoes among the six of them. Of course, he didn't give them directly to them. He planted them all in the greenhouse of the Imperial Garden. Li Yi said that he would send people to the greenhouse to learn and watch over them.

One potato is made up of four plants, which are planted in four pots. When the time comes, write their names on them and the harvest belongs to them.

As for the recipes for bean curd sheets, Li Yi was even more generous.

It means that the two families can send people to the workshop in Luojiabao to learn, and they will be taught hand-in-hand without reservation until they learn it.

Ji Wen was very satisfied with Li Yi's attitude.

Li Yi even specially invited the Ji family to have lunch.
After dinner, Ji Wen left happily.

Li Yi also packed up the gold and gifts and took his wives and concubines back to his hometown.

"Thank you, Alang,"

In the carriage, Ji Sujun was extremely grateful to Li Yi. She was able to reconcile with her family and regain the warmth of family love. This was something that Ji Junsu had never dared to imagine before.

Li Yi thought, even if he doesn’t look at the monk’s face, he should look at the golden face.

He hadn't expected the Ji and Dou families to be so forthcoming, buying six potatoes for ninety taels of gold. And when he casually asked if they wanted the recipe for the yuba (bean curd skin) and bean curd, or if he could buy two in a package, they actually took it.

For Li Yi, the recipes of bean curd sheets are no longer exclusive to him. Wei Du is also making them, and his scale is larger than his.

Li Yi sold whatever he could, sixty taels of gold, which was simply turning waste into treasure.

One hundred and fifty taels of gold,

This brought his gold reserves up to 650 taels.
Should he continue to buy houses in Chang'an, or buy some more land, or recruit some more disaster victims and tenants to join his army?

If used to buy slaves, these 150 taels of gold could buy 300 or 400 of them.

Outside the carriage,
Snow is falling,

The sky and earth are covered with silver,
Despite the freezing cold winter, Li Yi's heart was burning with passion.
Money burned,
More than 20,000 grams of gold. Even if it is 500 yuan per gram, it is worth 12 million yuan.

Even now, if converted into five-zhu coins, it is worth 5.2 million coins.

I have money now.
I'm really rich now.

There are more than 5,000 acres of farmland.
There were more than 500 followers and more than 30 slaves.
Thousand dan of grain,

The gold alone is worth 5.2 million coins, not to mention his wife's dowry, which is more than 2 million.

(End of this chapter)