The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 71: Having a pleasant conversation?

Wen Gu's grandfather used to be a wealthy businessman, the kind of wealthy businessman who had relatives who were high-ranking officials.

The one who takes over the household affairs now is Wen Gu's uncle. Although he is not as talented as my grandfather, he can still be entrusted with important tasks.

My uncle was not at home during this period, so Wen Gu did not go to visit him.

I didn't expect these two brothers to come to me directly.

come all come...

Wen Gu laid out the drawing paper flat, on which was a picture of an architecture he had drawn with charcoal.

Shen Liu, who was sitting across from the table, was impatient. He came over and was curious about the brushstrokes before he could even see what was drawn on the picture.

"Huh? This pen?"

When I touched it with my finger, I found that there was toner on it, and the lines there became blurred.

Shen Liu quickly retracted his fingers and pretended that he had done nothing. He looked at Wen Gu again and thought that he probably didn't notice.

"Hey, this...what is this painting? It's pretty nice."

Shen Qing, who had also come over out of curiosity, had already figured out that this was a luxurious and imposing building. No, not just one, but several houses connected by flying bridges. It was a bit like the high-end entertainment venues he had seen in the imperial capital before, but with many differences.

Wen Gu looked at them sincerely and said, "This is the integrated park for eating, drinking, playing, and living that I originally wanted to create!"

My painting skills are limited and some details are difficult to show, so I explained them to them one by one.

There are strict regulations on building heights in Xinzhou City. Except for watchtowers for monitoring fires and epidemics, residential buildings in each district are strictly limited in height and are not allowed to exceed the inner city wall to avoid obstructing observation.

Those nobles who wanted to build high towers could only change them into pavilions. If they wanted to climb high, they had to make an appointment to go to the watchtower, but forget about it at home.

However, if vertical development doesn’t work, let’s develop horizontally!
Inns, teahouses, study rooms and shops...

The six major clans bring together the most prestigious people in the north and south. They have seen many luxurious buildings, so the focus of this review is on other configurations.

Glittering glazed doors and windows, luxurious crystal lamps, high-end ceramic facilities for changing clothes and washing hands, and alternative folk art performance venues...

The two brothers of the Shen family looked at this building and that building, and had already converted these into real objects in their minds. They couldn't wait to go in and have a look around.

After the world became chaotic, they were restricted by many things at home and it was dangerous outside. They had to wander around in that small place all day, facing the same few familiar faces. There were no other entertainment venues in Xinzhou City. New and old friends wanted to get together but couldn't find a suitable place.

The wealthy and noble would build several places in their homes for tea drinking and leisure. The rush for building materials was not because they had no place to live, but because their homes were too small and there was no place to play!
Reviewing old stuff is a good idea, and there are many ways to do it.

Shen Liu stared at the painting and urged Wen Gu: "Then you build it."

"It can't be built because there is no money and no people," said Wen Gu.

Shen Qing didn't believe it: "My uncle, your uncle, and our cousin have allocated a lot of building materials to you!"

"Go and see how much is left!" Wen Gu said with a look of melancholy. "Build a few houses and you'll see the extent of the consumption. I can't bear to give up, but this is the reality. If I weren't afraid of you misunderstanding, I wouldn't be complaining to you. I can only put it aside for now and wait for a later time..."

Wen Gu pretended to roll up the drawing paper.

Didn't move.

Shen Qing pressed the side of the drawing paper: "Tell me more about this inn and teahouse."

Wen Gu looked at the two "Qingliu" brothers and said, "Are you interested? Then go ahead and build it. Here, we are all relatives, so I'll give you the drawing paper as a gift."

Shen Qingxin said: We can raise money, but we have no place!
Shen Liu was more straightforward and said, "The Xianghuifang where we live is already full of houses. Building a small courtyard is fine, but there is no room for a garden!"

Wen Gu said nonchalantly, "Ask my cousin to open another workshop."

The Shen brothers choked.

Can everyone ask their cousin for a Fang directly like you?

No, you asked for two more!

Wen Gu continued, "Once you have a block, you can find more people to share the burden. That means more people will participate in the profits. More people means easier work. Don't worry, you won't lose money. If it is built, it will be the only one of its kind in Xinzhou City!"

The Shen brothers were crazy about it, the most important thing was to save face!

Everything sounds good, except for one question - who will ask my cousin to open another garden?

Wen Gu looked at him encouragingly: You go!

The Shen brothers shook their heads: I dare not!

You are making things difficult for us!
Shen Qing looked at the blueprints and thought about the vast expanses of open space he had seen when he entered Jingxingfang today. After all, it was a newly opened area, so there was plenty of land.

But, apart from here, there is no other place.

Shen Qing clapped his hands: "It's simple! We can just enclose a piece of land in your Jingxingfang and build a garden."

It’s convenient to do anything when you are at your brother’s place.

Shen Liu also thought it was feasible: "Is there still space here?"

Wen Gu hesitated. "We were originally planning to build residential buildings. If you, my cousin, are really interested, I'll ask them to stop the construction now."

"Stop the work immediately, clear the land, and let's discuss this carefully."

Shen Qing looked at the picture in his hand.

This blueprint must have taken a lot of effort to review, so it would be inappropriate for him to just take it away. He said, "Cousin, we will also calculate the profit for you on this garden!"

"No need to be so polite. The drawings are my apology for not being able to visit you these days. Besides, I am now the head of Jingxingfang, so it is not appropriate for me to get involved in it." Wen Gu said sincerely.

Shen Qing thought about the temperament of the father and son of the Zhao family.

Wen Gu's approach is indeed different from theirs, and he really doesn't understand the ins and outs of it.

Shen Qing's face showed a more sincere smile. He patted Wen Gu's shoulder and said, "Alright. I accept this gift. We are brothers. If you have any difficulties, you must tell us."

"It's true!" Wen Gu said with a sad face.

Shen Qing: "..." Wen Gu: "Cousins, please help me find a few when you are looking for craftsmen. There are too many things to be built in the two workshops I am in charge of, and we are short of craftsmen.

"As for those scholars who can write and calculate, if their lives are difficult and they are willing to find other jobs, you can introduce them to me. If they stay, I will provide food and accommodation, and even their families can be accommodated together!"

Shen Qing's vigilance calmed down again: Oh, these.

They might even earn a few favors from it.

In large, prosperous families, many surviving members would stay locked up at home, fighting and wasting time, causing countless dirty things. There were also those who were constantly clamoring to split up the family, but building a house was not easy these days.

It’s just right to throw it here for review!
"Sure, sure!" Shen Qing agreed with a big laugh.

Continue looking at the pictures. If you don’t understand something, ask the reviewer to clear up your confusion.

Wen Gu also offered some suggestions: "You could expand the building in stages, starting with the first phase. If you can't build three floors, build two. Later, when management is relaxed and profits are generated, you can build three floors. For example, build one building first..."

Shen Liu: "Teahouse!"

Shen Qing: "Inn!"

Shen Liu said: "Brother, let's build a teahouse first, so we can have a place to drink tea and chat when we go out."

Shen Qing disagreed: "We can drink tea and chat in the inn, change our taste, listen to some songs, and stay overnight if we come out late!"

Shen Liu: "But it's not elegant enough."

Rich nobles who valued a refined lifestyle would enjoy making tea at home. Shen Liu felt that it was more sophisticated.

Now that alcohol is strictly controlled, let’s try tea.

Shen Qing had his own considerations: "We can build a bigger inn and build a few private rooms!"

The two brothers discussed for a while and then asked about review.

"Can you really build those glazed doors and windows, crystal lamps, ceramic facilities, and performance venues you just mentioned?"

Even though the value of various gemstones and jades has greatly depreciated today, they are still not easy to obtain, and high-end goods are still kept in the hands of the nobles.

Wen Gu said, "Let's give it a try first. Only by trying can we know. If we are going to build it, we must do it right. When I was studying abroad, I saw some wealthy families using crystal stones as curtains. It was truly like 'the crystal curtains flutter in the breeze, and the rose bushes fill the courtyard with fragrance.'"

The Shen brothers used to live a life of luxury, and their family was wealthy. Seeing similar things, they felt particularly involved. They missed their old lives very much.

I was in a trance for a while.

Reviewing the past brought their attention back:
"Also, Taoist Qingyi from Qingyunfang can provide a few recipes that might help build these faster. However, we still need the assistance of craftsmen with extensive experience in ceramic firing."

Knowing that he couldn't remember these two, Wen Gu took out a pen and paper and wrote down each item.

"Besides ceramics, there are many other things related to drainage, carpentry, and so on. If we have experienced hands, the construction will be faster. Are there any craftsmen who can make glass? I have recently hired some ordinary craftsmen, but they can't do that kind of delicate work."

Shen Qing came back to his senses and said, "That's for sure. The best craftsmen are all employed by the rich and noble. There may be some skilled craftsmen among the common people, but the Zhao family recruited a batch of them in the early days. It would be difficult for you to recruit them."

Wen Gu wrote down some precautions and then asked, "Do you have a suitable supervisor? One who is literate and can keep you informed of the progress of the construction?"

The Shen brothers nodded and agreed to send their trusted confidants to supervise and report daily.

The Shen brothers chatted and laughed for more than an hour before leaving with the painting given by Wen Gu and a few pages of "precautions".

They came in full of rage, but left with great conversation and a harmonious atmosphere.

Mrs. Shen from Zhao's house also received the news.

It was like a loud thunderclap, and Mrs. Shen was so frightened that she even knocked over her tea bowl.

"Who? Who's having a good chat with who?!"

Normally dignified and steady, he looked flustered at this moment.

After confirming it again, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart.

Madam Shen said sternly, "Those two evil beasts!"

The maid lowered her head and dared not say a word.

When the word "evil beast" came out, she knew that the lady wanted to say "evil obstacle" and it was an accidental slip of the tongue. It can be seen that she was extremely angry.

After Mrs. Shen finished speaking, she realized that she had made a mistake. It was indeed inappropriate to scold her nephew like that, but she was still angry in her heart.

"My family is unfortunate!"

Unable to calm down, she ordered, "Go and ask immediately what those two evildoers are talking about with Wen Gu!"

If you act recklessly and cause trouble, you will be beaten with a stick!
It's rare to have a talent like Wen Gu in my mother's family, so don't let him lead you astray!

The maid went out and came back after a while.

"Young Master Wen asked Chang Shun to deliver a letter."

Mrs. Shen took it immediately and opened the letter to read.

Worry, doubt, contemplation, calmness.

"Oh I got it."

He was furious and upset just now, but now he is calm again.

Just the time to read a letter.

Madam Shen stroked her temples dignifiedly: "They are all brothers of the same generation. It would be better to let them cultivate more feelings."

The maid bowed deeply.

She just listens to what is said above.

(End of this chapter)