How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

"You unfilial son!" Zhou Liangsheng turned around and roared, "Bring on the family discipline!"

"Wen'er, you..." Zhou's mother kept rubbing her hands, "You all..."

Old Zeng spoke up: "Master, I think... you should listen to the young master this time. After all, the cement factory really needs money to keep running properly. If you speak up, it's like using the power of the government to exploit the cement factory, which is really not conducive to the recovery of commerce in this county."

"Look, even this reclusive old man like Zeng understands things better than you, Father..." Zhou Wenju said.

Old Zeng rolled his eyes.

You think you're so special? Others might not know, but you certainly do! Don't you have any idea how I, Old Qi, lost my hair? ...

Zhou Liangsheng rolled his eyes: "I have no money!"

"You really were broke before, and now you dare to complain about being poor?" Zhou Wenju said. "Don't think I don't know, you still have at least 100,000 taels in your secret stash!"

"Every penny is accounted for, how can we waste it on this!" Zhou Liangsheng turned around: "I'm willing to compromise... I'll pay for the cement, but I don't have the money right now, so it'll have to be in debt!"

"Sorry, the cement plant's articles of association clearly state that transactions are cash-on-delivery, no credit or debts!"

"Your father... Your father is asking you for cash!" Zhou Liangsheng said through gritted teeth.

Zhou Wenju's eyes widened: "Borrow it from me?"

"Tell me, is it in line with your business principles for a father to borrow money from his son?" Zhou Liangsheng said.

"Lending money is certainly in accordance with business principles, but creditors also have the right to refuse, right?" Zhou Wenju shook his head: "No way! I have no money! I don't even have a pension; I'm lucky if I don't sponge off my parents, how could I possibly lend you any money?"

"Old Zeng!" Zhou Liangsheng called out.

"exist!"

"Hold him down and search him!" Zhou Liangsheng ordered.

Zhou Wenju sprang up, but Old Zeng scooped him up and held him down with a grin.

"Old Zeng, you...you're robbing me..."

"Young master, just consider this a way to avoid further trouble..." Old Zeng started reaching into his pocket.

"Dad... this is robbery! Is this a county government office or a bandit's den?... Alright, alright, I promise you I'll pay for the cement later, okay? Old Zeng, you bastard, are you really going to pay me back?"

Madam Zhou also became anxious: "Master, leave him a few, leave him a few..."

A commotion ensued.

Zhou Wenju ultimately couldn't withstand Lao Zeng's extortion.

The 100,000 taels of silver notes he had robbed from the Cangshan Sect were searched and reduced to only seven or eight notes. His long-standing bulging purse was finally empty, and his waistline also slimmed down.

With everything settled, Zhou Liangsheng smiled, reached out and summoned the head constable Zhang Yun, handing him three thousand taels of silver notes: "Go, buy cement, cash only, no credit or debt! I will lead by example in abiding by commercial rules."

I rely on!

So you're following business rules now?!

Zhou Wenju, feeling utterly hopeless, raised his eyes and stared at his father: "Father, if you pull this trick on me, you can no longer say that I'm doing things out of the ordinary, because as a local official, you're even more out of the ordinary than me, robbing people in public."

"You unfilial son, you've already gone to the extreme of being unconventional. How much more unconventional can you be? Therefore, I will simply ignore your words and let them pass by like a breeze!" Zhou Liangsheng used a pile of silver notes in his hand as a fan, fanning himself arrogantly, with a rare air of smugness.

My God, I can't stay here anymore...

Zhou Wenju turned and left...

Zhou's mother was deeply distressed: "Master, and Old Zeng, you two are really something, just robbing him like that, how could you do such a thing..."

"Madam, do you really think this rebellious son's money came from a righteous source?" Zhou Liang Sheng said, "Just as he said, he doesn't even have any official salary, so where did he get 100,000 taels of silver notes? He robbed the Cangshan Sect of it last time! Carrying 100,000 taels of silver notes is like carrying a huge seed of disaster. If we don't get rid of him, the consequences will be endless! Wealth obtained through thievery should be used for the benefit of the people; that is the right way!"

what?

Zhou's mother's expression changed: "Then why didn't you, as his father, just tell him the truth? Why did you have to resort to this?"

"Didn't you see how silver-tongued this unfilial son is? Do you think he'll listen to reason? He might even try to fool you by saying that the 100,000 taels of silver is a reward from the Mohist school."

Mother Zhou pondered, "Do you think this could really be a reward from the Mo family?... Ten thousand taels of silver, although unbelievable, is not impossible, given that even the Mo family princess treats him with special regard..."

There are indications that Zhou Wenju could easily fool his mother; even without arguing or defending himself, she could easily fill in the blanks in his mind.

However, it wouldn't be so easy to deceive Zhou Liangsheng.

This old man may be a bit old-fashioned, but he's definitely not stupid...

As for Zhou Wenju, he ran into his sister as soon as he left the county government office.

Zhou Shuang was surprised to see Zhou Wenju's expression: "Brother, why do you look like that? Did you get punished again?"

"Don't even mention it! I ran into a robber who stole all my money!"

"Huh? We've been robbed? Which bastard dares to steal our money?" Zhou Shuang jumped eight feet high.

She's also good at filling in the blanks with her imagination.

Isn't her brother's money the same as hers?

Stealing her brother's money is tantamount to cutting off her source of income, isn't it?

Cutting off someone's livelihood is tantamount to killing their parents!

Which bastard dared to steal her money? Drag him out and beat him to death!

Zhou Wenju calmly told her, "Our father!"

Zhou Shuang's eyes widened: "Father?"

"Yeah, why don't you go beat him up?"

The two siblings stared at each other, wanting the idea but lacking the courage...

Zhou Shuang blinked: "Brother, you're broke now, right?"

"It's a temporary lull," Zhou Wenju said.

"Then let's think of a new way!" Zhou Shuang said, "I'll take you into Tianjing Nunnery, I'll hold off the master, and you steal her alms bowl..."

"Targeting those close to you for personal gain? Is the Zhou family a family tradition of only taking advantage of those closest to them?" Zhou Wenju flicked her forehead. "Don't you have any self-respect?"

"Ah! You said Father is useless, I'm going to tell on him..." Zhou Shuang jumped up.

With a whoosh, three silver notes appeared out of nowhere: "Hush money!"

Straightforward and straightforward.

Zhou Shuang was overjoyed and, arm in arm with her brother, crossed Qishan County.

In Qishan County, the entertainment industry was probably the first to recover.

The brothel once again echoed with the sounds of string and wind instruments.

The music is refreshing and has a strong Lingnan folk tune flavor.

It's like walking through a mountain forest and listening to a village girl's whispers.

The Drunken Pavilion in front is a place Zhou Shuang frequents.

A song, accompanied by the sounds of string and wind instruments, began to play; it was none other than…

"I am a carefree wanderer from the mountains and rivers of Qingdu, destined by Heaven to be unrestrained and wild..."

Zhou Wenju stopped.

I rely on!

His lyrics have already spread to brothels?

They even composed music for it?

Did you pay the copyright fees?

Zhou Shuang, beside him, looked completely captivated: "This is a song sung by Zuige Ruyan. Brother, do you think her music—your private mobile library, accessible anytime—is worth ten taels of silver per song?"

"Ten taels of silver? You...you think it's worth it?"

"How is it not worth it? Didn't you see that everyone passing by stopped? With such a melody and such singing style, it's only natural that you wouldn't be able to move your feet once you hear it."

Zhou Wenju was speechless.

You guys have never eaten fine bran before...

In that world, music had already been explored to its fullest potential, reaching the pinnacle of creativity and exquisite beauty.

But in this world, music is still only in five notes.

Music based on the five tones cannot express too many variations.

To him, it was just so-so, but for the natives of this world who had never eaten coarse food, it was a different story. They were extremely sensitive to even the slightest change and said they couldn't stand it...

Zhou Shuang, displaying her years of experience as a "veteran driver," leaned close to Zhou Wenju's ear and said, "Listening to music through a wall isn't quite the same. How about I take you inside so you can see and hear it up close?"

"Forget it."

"What do you mean by 'forget it'? You haven't seen her demeanor. For example, when she sings this line... 'I'm too lazy to return to the jade towers and golden palaces, so let me insert plum blossoms and get drunk in Luoyang,' her expression is incredibly seductive. Her body is reclining on the brocade couch, her private parts are faintly visible, and she's talking about inserting plum blossoms. In your eyes, she's clearly telling you that you can have sex with her. I absolutely don't believe you don't like this kind of thing..."

"My God, where did you learn such vulgar language from..." Zhou Wenju couldn't stand it anymore.

"What am I compared to that? Back in the day, the Seventh Princess of the Imperial Family in the capital was the one who truly spoke wildly and lewdly."

Zhou Wenju was quite surprised: "The Seventh Princess of the Royal Family, spouting such vulgar and offensive language?"

"Unexpected, isn't it? Who in the world could have imagined this?" Zhou Shuang laughed. "This Seventh Princess is just like me. We were both too strictly controlled at home, and we rebelled at the first opportunity. My rebellion was at most going out to the streets to pick a fight, but her rebellion was that anything forbidden in the palace, once she left the palace and changed her clothes, she would do it even more outrageously..."

The Seventh Princess of the Dynasty...

This name had appeared in Zhou Wenju's consciousness.

There was a specific reason why I attended the Nanyang Poetry Festival that day.

The Grand Elder of the Mo Clan attempted to create a literary opportunity for his son, Mo Sanqiu, with the ultimate goal of marrying the Seventh Princess.

Under Mo Wushuang's leadership and with Zhou Wenju's participation, the Nanyang Poetry Gathering thwarted the Grand Elder's scheme.

They conveniently ruined the marriage alliance between the Mohist school and this seventh princess...

Now he realized that this seventh princess was quite unconventional, just like his own sister; the harder he suppressed her, the stronger the rebound would be.

In fact, many children in the world fall into this category; the more strictly they are suppressed, the more rebellious they become...

As they were talking.

The songs at Zuige were finished, and the music also went silent.

People on the street, with expressions of lingering enjoyment, began to move around again.

It was estimated that the courtesan named "Ruyan" had already finished the touching scene of "flower arranging" by now, so Zhou Shuang did not insist on going upstairs to listen to the music.

Follow Zhou Wenju back to the courtyard.

"Sister, I don't think I've heard brothels sing my song 'Po Zhen Zi' before," Zhou Wenju said.

"No one dares to sing your poem 'Po Zhen Zi'!" Zhou Shuang said. "They said it carries the sentiment of reminiscing about the previous dynasty, and restaurants, brothels, and music halls all consider it forbidden."

"Then in my poem 'Partridge Sky,' which says, 'I have never even glanced at princes and kings,' I even despise royal authority. How dare they say that?"

"What do you mean by 'disrespecting royal authority'? It's just 'flower arrangement lyrics,' isn't it? At most, 'flower arrangement' might be considered immoral, but what's so taboo about it? If you don't do this in a brothel, what kind of morality are you talking about?" Zhou Shuang said, "After Ruyan found out I was your sister, she asked me several times to tell you to write more 'flower arrangement lyrics' in the future. She said that the lyrics you created are especially suitable for singing in brothels. Whenever she sings the 'flower arrangement' part, her whole body gets hot and her bones go weak..."

"My God, not reading is terrible! Such magnificent, bold and unparalleled words, in the eyes of a courtesan, are reduced to just the two words 'flower arranging,' and she even feels weak all over..." Zhou Wenju was bewildered in the wind.

Time passes day by day in Qishan, with sunrises and sunsets, and the rising and falling of the winds.

The year-end is drawing nearer day by day.

In Zhou Wenju's courtyard, he imparted military knowledge about merging with another world to Zhang San. Although Zhang San didn't have many opportunities to verify it, he was already able to ask some rather profound questions about military matters when facing Zhou Wenju.

This shows that he has already learned a lot.

The cement plant on the river embankment is increasing its output day by day.

Sales are also increasing rapidly.

The Donghe Embankment is a major client, falling under the category of "government procurement." With the addition of cement, a powerful material, the embankment's progress is changing rapidly every day.

This isn't the only sales channel.

The original reconstruction plan for the houses destroyed in Qishan City was based on wood. However, this plan was quietly overturned, and people began to try building houses with cement and bricks. This attempt quickly swept across the city with its three major advantages: "fast", "sturdy" and "novel".

More and more people are using cement.

With increased cement production and distribution channels, money naturally flows in like water.

Zhou Wenju finally let go of the knot in his heart about the incident where his father and Old Zeng robbed each other of money that day...

This scramble might actually be a good thing.

why?

This isn't robbery, it's money laundering.

Previously, it was difficult to explain where he got such a huge amount of silver notes. Now, he has taken a different approach. The silver notes he stole from the Cangshan Sect were taken away by his father. Then, through the sale of cement, they returned to his pocket. Isn't this "laundering" his identity?

At least now he can learn from his father and hold the banknotes in his hand, using them as a fan.

The question is about legal income.

The dam was successfully completed on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

News also came from the Hexi Valley.

The first batch of guns has been delivered to the northern battlefield, and the results have been excellent.

In conventional warfare, three thousand spearmen swept through an enemy army of one hundred thousand, resulting in a defeat for the Yan state, which retreated three times.

His Majesty was overjoyed upon hearing this good news and ordered the Imperial Household Department to increase the procurement of guns and ammunition.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Wenju went to Hexi Valley and used the Mohist art of weaponry to transform the furnace into a gun production line, producing three thousand more guns. Then he restored it to its original function as an ammunition production facility.

In this back and forth, over three days and nights, his silver notes increased by another 80,000 taels...

The thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lunar New Year's Eve.

Standing in his own courtyard, Zhou Wenju looked at the newly renovated Donghe River, and at the two long embankments on both sides of the river, which resembled two silver snakes winding eastward. Listening to the firecrackers that marked the arrival of the New Year in the city, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

There was a knock on the courtyard gate, and Zhang San went to open it. The person who came in was Old Zeng.

In just one month, Lao Zeng had grown eyebrows and short hair on his scalp, and it wasn't the gray hair of the past, but pure black.

What was once a strange and indistinguishable creature has now achieved a true rebirth.

He approached Zhou Wenju and said, "Young master, the master requests your return to the yamen."