The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 74 What I missed

Wen Gu was thinking about making something eye-catching to attract wealthy dog owners, and this thing is also practical.

Draw the design and then make fine adjustments based on the existing results.

I just don’t know if it’s an illegal building, so I have to report it to my cousin.

During this period, honeycomb coal stoves entered more markets.

The first edition of Xinzhou's newspaper has also come out.

Young Master Zhao does have a lot of talented people under him, both civil and military, and they run the newspaper quickly, but since Wen Gu was the first person to make the suggestion, Young Master Zhao still consulted Wen Gu when deciding on the name.

Wen Gu did not directly suggest a name, but said, "The gentleman is moderate, and the gentleman is moderate at all times."

So the Xinzhou Times came into being.

The first printed edition was very formal and serious, introducing some important figures who had come from the south, but the focus was still on the honeycomb coal stove.

It was inconvenient for soldiers to heat food with hot water in winter, so a batch of honeycomb coal stoves that were hurriedly made were first allocated to various military quarters in the outer city area.

The first edition of the newspaper did not conceal Wen Gu's contribution. This time, in addition to the middle and upper classes, many grassroots civilians and soldiers also recognized Wen Gu's identity and contribution.

In the past, guiding public opinion required people to spread information, but now it is much more efficient and the scope of influence is much larger.

As long as you can see the newspaper, you will naturally know the content of the newspaper and let more people know about it.

Each military quarters has a copy of the newspaper. If you want to buy extra copies, you can only go to designated places.

The same was true for the inner city. Each ward head and some officials were allocated a copy, and others could buy it at designated places if they wanted it. Newspapers were not expensive, and anyone who could afford coal could generally afford them.

outside the city.

The tiger-head flag flutters in the wind.

The people from the Huwei Escort Agency who had previously accepted tasks from their employers and wanted to earn supplies are back!
What is striking about this team is that, in addition to the flags and the escort leader Lin walking in front, there are also dozens of high-spirited escorts.

But besides these were the cowering villagers and the scattered refugees who had gathered along the way. There were actually over 300 of them!
Including the escorts from Huwei Escort Agency, the entire team consists of nearly four hundred people.

Along the way, it attracted the attention of many troops and city defense forces that defected to Xinzhou, and they also learned about the identity and origin of this tiger-head flag and formed a preliminary impression.

Since they have been out of the city for many days and have had a lot of contact with refugees, the people from the Huwei Escort Agency need to be quarantined in the outer city area for two days.

Unlike the nervousness they felt the first time they were quarantined here, the escorts from Huwei Escort Agency were much calmer this time.

They were a little nervous, actually. They had gone hunting on the way and had a cartload of game, but they didn't know how much the city entrance fee would be.

Residents of the city who go out to chop wood or hunt have to pay an entrance fee and hand in a proportion of the prey they hunt.

When Lin Biaotou took the rice to exchange for hot water and food, he found that many soldiers were gathered at intervals around a strange iron stove.

The place where you can exchange hot water for hot food is also the same, but the iron stove here is bigger.

There were several soldiers nearby discussing which military leader was using which type of coal stove and what grade of honeycomb coal.

"Our boss uses that kind of high-quality coal. It has little smell, burns quickly, and is expensive!"

"This honeycomb coal is really good. I think it has clay added to it. The newspaper said it can be used to pave roads after burning. We've laid a long strip of it in our neighborhood. It's really good and it's really non-slip!"

"I wonder if these burnt coal ash are any use in warding off 'evil spirits'."

"It's not mentioned in the Xinzhou Times."

What honeycomb briquette stove? What Xinzhou Times?
Lin Biaotou was completely confused after hearing this.

They went out on a escort mission not long ago, so how come when they came back again, it seemed like they could no longer understand what was being said in Xinzhou City?
What did we miss?!

I returned to the team with a lot of questions in my mind. Not long after, someone came to count the number of new people in the team. This was to calculate how many refugees I had brought in, which could be used as merit to exchange for things.

At the same time, calculate the city entrance fee that needs to be collected.

When registering the team's identity, Lin Biaotou took out the stamped certificate given by Wen Gu.

The minor official in charge of statistics and records didn't take it seriously at first, but after seeing the seal on the paper, he looked at Lin Biaotou and the others, and his expression relaxed a lot, no longer the stern and businesslike look he had just had.

The official returned the receipt and explained to Lin Biaotou, "Xinzhou is recruiting people right now, so the entrance fee is not high."

Escort Captain Lin calculated in his mind that even if they handed over only two or three tenths of the prey, they could get more on this trip, which was nothing.

After final statistics, it turned out that the entrance fee was just a symbolic amount, less than 10%.

Is there such a good thing? !
Perhaps because Lin Biaotou and the others' expressions were too obvious, the official explained, "You should thank your ward leader."

Lin Biaotou: "Our Wenfangchang?"

The official nodded: "Yes, it's the cousin Wen from the Zhao family."

Of all the young cousins who had come to seek refuge with the Zhao family, only this one had achieved such success. When he first arrived, the young master personally went to greet him. Within a month of his arrival, he had become famous throughout the city.

Nowadays, in Xinzhou City, from the rich and nobles to the soldiers and the poor, even if they have never seen him, they have heard of the name of Mayor Wen.

The position of the head of the ward is not high, and one must also consider the status and fame that comes with it. Only a fool would offend one!
Moreover, this coal stove really benefits everyone. They in the outer city district decided to provide some conveniences to the people in the two districts this month.

After completing the statistics, the official led the soldiers to the next location. A soldier nearby asked, "What's written on that paper?"

The official said, "It doesn't matter what's written on it. What matters is the seals on it. The seals of Jingxingfang and Qingyunfang."

"It turns out they're from these two workshops! I heard the honeycomb coal stoves first came from these two workshops."

"The names of these two blocks were chosen by the young master!"

The voices over there were very vague, and Lin Biaotou and the others could not hear clearly. It was enough to know that they could receive such good treatment because of their head of the district.

Lin Biaotou and his men were quarantined in the outer city for two days before entering the inner city.

The villagers who left Jingxingfang together, as well as the escorts from the escort agency, described Jingxingfang to the new group of people.

"Although the vast expanse of empty land looks desolate and desolate, everyone's spirits are actually quite good."

"If you work, you can get food coupons, which you can exchange for food. If your family has a lot of labor, you can save enough to build a house."

"The escort agency's mansion should be built better."

"We're not competing with the escort agencies. If we have money, we can buy land and build a house. If we don't have money, we can rent a house. If we don't even have money to rent a house, then we can see if we can be selected to work."

"There's a lot of open space over there, and the area is full of refugees and villagers like us."

However, as we walked, more and more things seemed wrong.

Why are there so many trucks coming and going on these roads and alleys?

Some of the wooden carts were filled with wood, others with bricks, tiles, stones, soil, etc. They all came in full and left empty.

Lin Biaotou looked around, confirmed that this was Jingxingfang, and led his men in.

There is a large area that is fenced off and people are not allowed to approach casually.

Craftsmen and laborers were everywhere, and many makeshift sheds had been erected. There were also people who looked like managers running back and forth, shouting something loudly.

It was a lively scene.

The new villager whispered to his fellow villagers, "This... is completely different from what you said! Are you sure we're not in the wrong place?"

At this time, Zhou Shan brought people over and said, "The neighborhood chief knows you are back, but he has something else to do. I will be in charge of settling these villagers and refugees."

Lin Biaotou finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw an acquaintance.

"I'm glad you came! I was only away for a few days, and when I came back I didn't even know how to get around!"

Zhou Shan smiled and said, "That's normal. Our Jingxingfang and Qingyunfang change every day."

Lin Biaotou was curious: "What's being built over there?"

"The Shen family and some nobles want to build a garden. It will be difficult to start construction for a while, so we should do some work now before it freezes too hard."

"The Shen family?"

"It's our aunt's family."

Lin Biaotou took a breath.

Zhou Shan lowered his voice and briefly recounted to Lin Biaotou what had happened during this period.

At this time, Wen Gu was in the house in Jingxingfang, chatting with his new friends.

Pei Jing came here today with the Shen brothers. However, the brothers left after staying for a while, while Pei Jing stayed and chatted with Wen Gu for a while.

We talked about calligraphy and painting, and about antiques, and for a moment we felt a sense of mutual admiration.

At least that was the case in Pei Jing's eyes. Wen Gu was like another him in the world, frail but intelligent.

Knowing that Wen Gu had official business, Pei Jing said goodbye and invited Wen Gu to his home before leaving. He had many treasured water jade crystals for him to admire, and some of the designs of Wanfu Garden could be discussed further.

After Pei Jing left, Wen Gu returned to the house.

Just now he discovered that the large wooden table in the room was shifted.

Lift it up and move it back to its original position. Hmm, it looks much better now.

As I sat down, I thought about the new friend I just met.

Pei Jing is a man of meticulous mind, clear logic, solid cultural foundation and excellent artistic level.

As expected of someone raised in a noble family! We are in need of such talented people with high artistic attainments!

Pei Jing's problems are also very obvious. Many of his views are only at the theoretical level and lack practical experience.

How can this work!
At this era and at this age, it is time to enter social practice!
If you are physically weak, you don’t have to go to the construction site, you can still practice sitting in the office.

Wen Gu was thinking about his next work and planned to find some free time to visit Pei's house and deepen his friendship with this new friend.

(End of this chapter)