A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 9 Wasting Resources (Please add to your favorites and recommend)

The brokerage firm sent two large carts to accommodate the twenty-six people.

Li Weizhou simply bought the two large carts along with the old horses, spending an extra thirty taels of silver.

It just so happens that two Donghu Tartars know how to drive a carriage, which is quite good.

Both of them had unlucky looks on their faces, were not at all imposing, and did not look like fierce people; rather, they were somewhat sleazy.

They speak Mandarin quite fluently, kowtow upon meeting, and promise to work diligently and conscientiously, putting in hard work and dedication rather than seeking personal gain.

The reason there were twenty-six people instead of the previous twenty-four was because each of the two Donghu Tartars brought a child with them, a boy and a girl.

They brought their children here because they didn't want them to be sacrificed by ranchers who followed a cult.

The human trafficker patted his chest and assured everyone that these two really loved the child and knew how to exploit his weaknesses, so there was nothing to worry about...

When passing by his home on Dongshi Street, Li Weizhou left behind two doormen who were somewhat skilled in martial arts, a laundry maid, a cook, an accountant, and two ten-year-old girls.

Oh, and the two little Tartars stayed behind too. The girl said she knew how to milk goats, so she stayed home to milk them, and the boy knew how to raise and feed horses, so he was also useful.

Li Weizhou was definitely not trying to exploit weaknesses; he wouldn't use such flexible methods...

The rest were all sent to the restaurant, which had five tiled houses attached to it, which could be used as warehouses or dormitories.

There was no brainwashing session. He has neither authority nor hope, and he looks too young. Too much nonsense would just be gossip, so there was no need for it.

The days are still long, take your time.

Moreover, Li Weizhou knew that someone would help him do this.

……

Shiqiao Street, the old Li family residence.

Li Delong, who had just returned from his shift at the prison, felt completely numb upon hearing the news.

He knew his nephew wasn't a peaceful person, but he never expected him to be this restless.

The key is……

"Where did he get so much money?!"

Li Delong looked at his second son, Li Chang'an, who was also scratching his head, and asked.

Li Chang'an blinked and said, "I went to ask him after I finished my shift. He said he's cooperating with Zuixianglou and borrowed the money from Qi Erniang. He didn't touch a single tael of the three hundred taels of silver we sent over. Oh, and he still calls Qi Erniang 'Sister Qi,' heh!"

His expression was slightly distorted, as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't.

They probably never imagined that their cousin would get involved with the infamous shrew.

Qingzhou Prefecture was indeed a very inconspicuous small city among the 1,800 prefectures and counties of the Great Qian Dynasty. Logically speaking, how much ability could a brothel madam have?
However, Qingzhou Prefecture has another serious problem. It is the closest prefecture to the Donghu Horse Market. At least half of the women sold from Donghu passed through Qi Erniang's hands before being sold to 1,800 prefectures in the Daqian Dynasty.

Tsk, where are the rich men who don't want to seduce women?

And one can imagine how powerful the background of the person who can handle this kind of business is.

Li Delong was stunned for a long time before exclaiming incredulously, "That madam Qi Erniang, she calls her 'sister'?!"

How shameless do you have to be to say that?

Although Qi Erniang is only in her early thirties, she is more than a decade older than Li Weizhou and about the same age as his mother. Is this acceptable?
Li Chang'an crossed his arms, smacked his lips as if savoring something, and said, "I... have a friend who likes to go to Zuixianglou. I asked around, and Sanlang is really quite likable. Qi Erniang is indeed very good to him, but it doesn't seem to be that kind of relationship... It's hard to say. Father, what should we do about this? That shrew is notorious for being ruthless and heartless..."

Li Delong was no pedantic scholar. He chuckled and said, "What can she do? This is Qingzhou Prefecture, not the capital! Besides, the third brother is just a poor boy, with no money or power. What loss could he possibly suffer? Is she after his body? She's the one who's profiting! Moreover, it's borrowing money from her, not lending her money. Fine, I'd like to see what kind of trouble she can cause."

Li Chang'an scratched his chin with his finger, hesitatingly saying, "I'm not worried that she's after Sanlang; even our family is probably nothing to her. But Silang is in the capital; he's fortunate enough to have a renowned teacher and a bright future. Could it be... Father, although Silang seems cold and aloof, he's actually quite stubborn. He's only two months younger than the third brother, and he was the most attached to the second aunt back then, openly competing with the third brother for her affection. Mother was even jealous of that. After the second uncle and aunt's accident, he was more heartbroken than anyone else, and I guess he feels guilty towards the third brother. If Qi Erniang wants to use the third brother to scheme against the fourth brother, then..."

Li Delong shook his head and laughed, "You have a lot of ideas, but this time you've overthought it. Fourth Brother is indeed good, but that's all. He's considered a genius here, but the capital city has no shortage of geniuses, so it's not worth such painstaking planning. At least, it's not worth it now. Hmm, but we really can't let that kid run wild. How old is he? What can he do about managing a household? You go... never mind, I'll go myself and teach those servants a lesson! You brat, I wouldn't even buy so many servants to enjoy myself."

Li Chang'an chuckled upon hearing this, saying, "Father, I know you dote on Sanlang, but you should tone it down a bit. Even Eldest Brother is getting a little jealous. But I reckon Fourth Brother won't mind. He'll write to Sanlang about how he's come to his senses and become a wise man; he'll be happy for a long time. Tsk, in a few years, when Fourth Brother becomes a true master, our Li family will have some face not only in front of the county magistrate but also in front of the Northern General. Life will be much more comfortable then." Li Delong scoffed, intending to express his disdain, but he couldn't help but grin and laugh heartily with his son.

……

"Uncle, yes, it's me who sent the money. I found a job at the factory, screwing in screws, three thousand five a month, it's quite stable. From now on, I'll send you and Auntie two thousand a month... It's only right, I know. Okay, I'll hang up now, save on phone bills."

Inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel's king-size bed room, Li Weizhou stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in slippers, watching the afterglow of the setting sun stream in. He reached out as if to grasp it, and with his other hand, he hung up the phone.

Although his uncle has never been kind to him over the years, and his aunt often calls him a "burden," a "glutton," or even a "jinx," they still raised him despite all the misunderstandings.

This is especially difficult for impoverished inland areas, particularly for rural families with three children.

Although Li Weizhou was able to study, his tuition fees were mostly waived, and the expenses he needed to cover were largely covered by his part-time work. However, the fact that they didn't force him to work to support his family was enough for Li Weizhou to be grateful and not hold a grudge.

The two thousand yuan he gives each month is his way of repaying a debt of gratitude, allowing the elderly couple to live a relatively comfortable old age in their rural hometown.

Any more and Li Weizhou would feel confused and resentful.

So be it……

After settling a karmic matter, Li Weizhou felt better looking at the things piled on the bed.

An iron hot pot is secondary; the main purpose is to set an example for the blacksmith.

The key was the hundred packets of hot pot base that were shipped from my hometown, a mountain city, and the vat of aged oil that my landlord, Lao Liao, helped me buy – these were all good stuff.

What is "old oil"?

It can also be called saliva oil, which is the oil that settles out after the restaurant filters and separates the residue from the food when someone finishes eating hot pot.

Mountain hot pot is usually made with beef tallow, which has a relatively high melting point, between 40 and 46 degrees Celsius. So when the temperature drops below this range, the fat will slowly solidify into blocks, making it easier to transport.

This vat of old oil was purchased by Lao Liao from a familiar hot pot restaurant through a transfer of money by Li Weizhou.

I don't know if it's dirty or not, but it's definitely fragrant!

In fact, setting aside all those mysterious and complicated terms, fresh oil hot pot is definitely cleaner and more hygienic.

However, the cost of a pot of genuine oil and broth is far more than twenty yuan; it could even double.

Therefore, more and more hot pot restaurants can only get creative with their dipping sauces, adding all sorts of fancy ingredients, including things like small red chilies.

A truly authentic hot pot doesn't need any additional dipping sauces; the flavor from just the broth is already incredibly potent.

The reason is simple: the oil has accumulated a lot of sediment from the bottom of the pot, including various peppercorns, chili peppers, butter, sesame oil, and other ingredients.

In comparison, the new oil in the pan was bland and tasteless.

Li Weizhou believed that he would bring good news to the people of Daqian.

Especially in Qingzhou Prefecture, which is only a little over a hundred miles away from the horse market, it is easy to buy mutton there.

Aside from the old-fashioned soap business, there aren't many other businesses that can be done for the time being.

This unique business should bring considerable fame to Baibaoge.

Qingzhou Prefecture is just a very small prefecture, and its gold and silver exchange business cannot be very large. In the end, it still needs to go out and go to Zhongzhou or even Shangzhou. Only in that way can it make a difference and make reasonable use of the resources shared between the two worlds.

Otherwise, it would be a real waste of resources.

Li Weizhou wasn't aiming to achieve anything great; he just wanted to see what he could accomplish when the opportunity presented itself.

After all, I always looked down on Wang Goucong, thinking that if he had those resources, he would have soared to great heights long ago.

Now that he has the resources of the world, if he can't take off, he'll be slapped in the face!
……

(End of this chapter)